The consulate said in a notice on its website that a person came out of a van parked outside the compound Wednesday night with two buckets of gasoline, poured the fuel on the front of the consulate building and set it on fire.
The notice said the fire caused serious damage and that San Francisco's police and fire departments arrived at the scene. A telephone message left with the San Francisco Police Department wasn't immediately returned.
The notice called the incident "a sabotage of a vile nature" and said China has urged U.S. authorities to launch an immediate investigation.
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