The Changchun city government posted a statement on the social media site Weibo stating that the fire started at 12:40 pm (0440 GMT) in a restaurant.
Firefighters "rushed to the scene" and completed search and rescue work by 3 pm, the statement said.
"The injured have been sent to hospital for treatment while posthumous care for the victims is being carried out," it added.
Authorities said the cause of the incident is under investigation.
Changchun is an auto manufacturing center and the capital of Jilin province.
Fire has become a frequent disaster for China
In China, where building codes are not strictly enforced and unlicensed construction is common, deadly fires frequently break out, making it difficult for people to escape burning structures.
Earlier this month, a huge blaze in the central city of Changsha engulfed part of a skyscraper housing an office of state-owned telecommunications company China Telecom, but no casualties were reported.
In July last year, a warehouse fire in northeastern Jilin province killed 15 people and injured 25 more, according to state media reports.
The month before that, a fire killed 18 people -- mostly children -- at a martial arts school in central Henan province, causing an uproar over fire safety standards.
Another two dozen people perished in two fires that broke out in Beijing's migrant neighbourhoods in 2017, and 58 people died in a massive fire that tore through a 28-story housing complex in Shanghai in 2010.
(With inputs from AFP)
