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Blaze Destroys 44-Story Building in China, Firefighter Killed - Amazing Photos & Videos
By CHI-CHI ZHANG
Associated Press Writer
Update: A 30-year-old firefighter died after suffering respiratory tract injuries fighting the blaze, the AP reported. At least six others were injured.
BEIJING (AP) -- The burning shell of an unfinished, 44-story luxury hotel lit the night sky over downtown Beijing on Monday after being showered with sparks from fireworks set off during China's biggest holiday.
Flames surged up one side of the hotel and sent off huge plumes of black smoke, showering the ground with embers as police held back crowds of onlookers.
AP Photos/Andy Wong
There were no reports of deaths or injuries.
• View: Amazing Photos of Blaze Progession on Wonitata.com
Beijing usually tightly restricts the use of fireworks downtown, but waives the rules each year during the Lunar New Year holiday. Monday was the final day for fireworks, marking the first full moon since the Lunar New Year, and massive barrages exploded in open spaces throughout the city.
The Rem Koolhaas-designed Mandarin Oriental hotel was part of a striking complex that helped transform the capital's skyline for last year's Olympics. It is next to China Central Television's landmark Z-shaped headquarters, a major prestige project for the government. The television headquarters was not burning.
The hotel had been expected to be one of Beijing's most luxurious when it opened this year.
It caught fire sometime before 9 p.m. as the skies were filled with fireworks.
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 said they were unable to release any details.
At least seven fire crews were on the scene, and police closed a nearby elevated highway to ensure safety.
Crews had largely extinguished the larger flames about three hours after the fire began, although hot spots continued to flicker.
The hotel and the television tower 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.
Watch Before the Fire: The Fireworks Display (At the very end of the video they zoom in and you can see a small plume of fire and smoke on the roof)
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Associated Press Writer
Update: A 30-year-old firefighter died after suffering respiratory tract injuries fighting the blaze, the AP reported. At least six others were injured.
BEIJING (AP) -- The burning shell of an unfinished, 44-story luxury hotel lit the night sky over downtown Beijing on Monday after being showered with sparks from fireworks set off during China's biggest holiday.
Flames surged up one side of the hotel and sent off huge plumes of black smoke, showering the ground with embers as police held back crowds of onlookers.
AP Photos/Andy Wong
There were no reports of deaths or injuries.
• View: Amazing Photos of Blaze Progession on Wonitata.com
Beijing usually tightly restricts the use of fireworks downtown, but waives the rules each year during the Lunar New Year holiday. Monday was the final day for fireworks, marking the first full moon since the Lunar New Year, and massive barrages exploded in open spaces throughout the city.
The Rem Koolhaas-designed Mandarin Oriental hotel was part of a striking complex that helped transform the capital's skyline for last year's Olympics. It is next to China Central Television's landmark Z-shaped headquarters, a major prestige project for the government. The television headquarters was not burning.
The hotel had been expected to be one of Beijing's most luxurious when it opened this year.
It caught fire sometime before 9 p.m. as the skies were filled with fireworks.
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 said they were unable to release any details.
At least seven fire crews were on the scene, and police closed a nearby elevated highway to ensure safety.
Crews had largely extinguished the larger flames about three hours after the fire began, although hot spots continued to flicker.
The hotel and the television tower 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.
Watch Before the Fire: The Fireworks Display (At the very end of the video they zoom in and you can see a small plume of fire and smoke on the roof)
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Wellie Eglorianin, M.A. Ed. on
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What a waste...
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Permalink Reply by Dean "Hutch" Hutchins on
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I'm always saddened when I hear of a fallen fire fighter as a result of what appears to be a possible arson. As a paramedic/firefighter I got to see plenty of fellow crew members injured and nearly killed. I was most grateful that none died during my time with the department. It's like losing a family member.
My cousin was Capt. Lee Williams who died in the Hackensack, New Jersey (1988) auto dealership fire involving 4 other firefighters with him. It's a training film around most of the major departments in the country. They became trapped and there were communications issues. I lost a cousin and good friend that day.
I wonder why this raging inferno didn't collapse in on itself like the twin towers? This was obviously a much larger fire and burned much longer as well.
There was a building like this about ten years ago or so in Spain or Portugal that burned for 24 hours fully engulfed. They cleaned it up and rebuilt the inside using the original structural steel. It was older than the twin towers too.
Makes you scratch your head doesn't it?
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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth on
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WOW!!! i could see why they didnt see this comin but there was no way you could of put this out look at it !!
This fire had meaning to it , look how fast it burned down .
i watch all 5 videos all you could do is stand back and watch out for the people at the bottom , cause there was nothing goin to stop it!!!MAN
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Permalink Reply by Doug on
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In case you're not aware, most of the entire interior of this building was an open atrium. Once it caught fire it was nothing more than an over sized chimney.
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Two reasons. First, jet fuel was not involved, which burns much hotter. Second, the building didn't suffer any catastrophic damages, such as a large passenger jet flying at 500 mph into it cutting a huge hole in the support structure. It certainly was a larger fire, but it did not burn nearly as hot.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Vito on
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I live in Metro Manila which is urban commercial / business district mostly. Good thing it never happen to us that really big and spectacular fire!
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Permalink Reply by Dennis Brown on
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i guess standpipes & sprinklers where out of order and what no fire code
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We had a similar building fire three months ago. 18 storey hospital under construction almost completion. The HVAC area caught fire and by the time we got there the roof was half involve. And guess what... sprinklers and stand pipes not yet operational. Even though it was long haul, we manage to knock down most of the fire. The alarm was not that big but the fire was under control at about 40 minutes.
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Permalink Reply by Matthew Garland on
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that nust stick to have to deal with
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