Chinese TV station sorry for accidentally burning down brand-new luxury hotel
A Chinese television station has apologised after unauthorised fireworks it was using accidentally set fire to a brand new 44-storey luxury hotel in downtown Beijing - engulfing it in flames.
The Mandarin Oriental hotel, still under construction, caught fire as the skies above the Chinese capital were filled with fireworks - part of celebrations of the lantern festival that follows the Lunar New Year.
The shooting flames sent off huge plumes of black smoke and showered the ground with embers. A fireman died after inhaling toxic gases when fighting the fire, Xinhua news agency said. Seven people were injured, including six firefighters.
A crowd watches as the building that housed the soon-to-be-opened Mandarin Oriental hotel burns today
The building was next to the construction site of the iconic new China Central Television (CCTV)
At least seven fire crews were on the scene, and police held back crowds of onlookers and closed a nearby elevated highway to ensure safety.
Flames 20-30 feet (10 metres) high shot out of the building, just north of the spectacular, gravity-defying China Central TV tower designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. The flames were reflected in the tower, which itself appeared to be untouched.
One onlooker, Li Jian, said he saw smoke rise from the hotel's roof shortly after a huge burst of fireworks showered it with sparks, though it was not clear if the sparks started the fire.
'Smoke came out for a little while, but then it just started burning,' Li said.
People answering the phone at the Beijing fire department confirmed the fire but said they were unable to release any details.
The building was set to become one of Beijing's most luxurious hotels
'CCTV hired staff from a fireworks company to ignite several hundred large festive firecrackers' in an open space outside the near-completed Mandarin Oriental Hotel, part of the CCTV tower complex, Xinhua said, quoting a fire brigade spokesman.
He said these fireworks, set off to celebrate the Lantern Festival, were 'much more powerful and explosive' than those available at roadside stalls during the Chinese New Year holiday and needed approval from the municipal government.
'Owners of the property ignored policemen's warnings that such fireworks were not allowed,' spokesman Luo Yuan was quoted as saying.
Today CCTV apologised for the tragedy, saying it was deeply grieved 'for the severe damage the fire caused to the country's property.'
The whole complex cost 5 billion yuan ($731 million), according to Xinhua.
Crews had largely extinguished the larger flames about three hours after the fire began, although hotspots continued to flicker.
Flames sparked by fireworks shot into the sky as the building was gutted by fire today
The blackened shell of the hotel this morning, after the blaze
Beijing usually tightly restricts the use of fireworks downtown, but waives the rules each year during the Lunar New Year holiday.
Yesterday, the final day of the exemption period, marked the first full moon since the Lunar New Year, and massive fireworks barrages exploded in open spaces throughout the city.
The Mandarin Oriental was expected to be one of Beijing's most luxurious hotels, with 241 guest rooms.
Both buildings were designed by Netherlands architects Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren for the firm OMA. Both were nearing the end of construction.
The fire destroyed years of hard work, said Erik Amir, a senior architect at OMA, who rushed to the site.
'I think it's really sad that this building is destroyed before it can be opened to the public,' he said.
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