Mandarin Oriental Beijing on Fire
unoccupied building in flames hours ago
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A massive fire engulfed a newly constructed, unoccupied luxury hotel in central Beijing on Monday night as crowds watched a nearby fireworks display marking the end of Lunar New Year celebrations.
The cause of the blaze at the 40-story Mandarin Oriental is not known and there were no reports of injuries, according to CNN staff members who were at the scene. The fire began about 9 p.m. and continued to burn an hour later.
A plume of flames shot from the top of the structure as the fire quickly spread.
iReporter Jean de Villeneuve lives about 200 yards (200 meters) from the fire and said she watched it for about an hour before firefighters got it under control. De Villeneuve, who is originally from France, said she was surprised at how close spectators were allowed to get before authorities established a perimeter.
"I looked and saw the huge tower full of fire, and there were hundreds of Chinese down near my apartment taking pictures," she said. "If this had been the United States, you would think a perimeter would be secured, but there was nothing like that." Watch flames devour the hotel »
De Villeneuve said she and others were able to get within 60 yards of the fire.
The state-run Xinhua news agency reported that more than 1,000 people in the area were evacuated, "traffic controls were imposed" on a major highway and authorities temporarily stopped subway service on a line serving the area.
"Snow-like ashes fell as far as [half a mile] from the building and smoke eclipsed the full moon," Xinhua reported of the blaze in the capital's central business district.
iReporter Fred Rice, a British national who lives in Beijing, said "the top of the building was exploding."
"We weren't sure if it was gas canisters or what. It was a spectacular sight for sure," he said.
iReporter Stephen Chaytor said he was walking home from work when he saw the fire.
"It was spreading incredibly fast. It was obvious that there was a lot of debris on site -- that debris ignited very quickly," Chaytor said. "Fire took control of building [and] within less than 13 minutes, it went from small flames to being totally engulfed in flames."
He said a crowd of onlookers gathered around the scene, as well as fire and emergency crews who worked to control the blaze.
"There was a quiet concern for people that may be involved, working in the building or close to construction site," he said.
The fire reached past the 30th floor, but did not spread to any adjacent buildings. The hotel is next to a newly constructed tower for China Central Television (CCTV), but no one has moved into that building either.
The blaze erupted in the final hours of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration as people set off fireworks across the city.
Xinhua reported that Beijing residents were supposed to stop selling and lighting fireworks by midnight. iReporter de Villeneuve said she suspects many people in the city were trying to use whatever remaining fireworks they had before the deadline.
"We have been seeing fireworks for the past two weeks. I have to say this is quite a surprise," she said.
iReporter Rice said he was watching fireworks nearby when he noticed that fireworks were being set off near the buildings.
"Then we looked closer and saw the flames come from the top of the building," Rice said. "Soon became apparent that the building was on fire."
The modern, angular building was a sign of Beijing's recent transformation and modernization. It had been scheduled to open late last year, but the opening was postponed until this year, though most of the building had been constructed.
According to its Web site, the Mandarin Oriental-Beijing is the flagship property in China for the Mandarin Oriental hotel chain.
The tower stands more than 500 feet high and contains 241 rooms, Xinhua reported.
Statement in response to the fire at the development site of Mandarin Oriental, Beijing by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group:
Mandarin Oriental, Beijing was scheduled to open in the summer of 2009. The property currently employs 60 staff, all of whom work in pre-opening offices near to the hotel, which were empty at the time of the fire. We do not believe that anyone has been injured in the blaze. Mandarin Oriental has signed a long-term contract to manage the hotel and has no ownership interest in the building. Our local management team are doing all they can to help the authorities to ensure the safety and security of everyone involved. It is too early at the present stage to assess the damage, but we will make further updates as soon as we have more information.
Updated Statement In Response To The Fire At The Construction Site Of Mandarin Oriental, Beijing:
We can confirm that the fire at the construction site of Mandarin Oriental, Beijing, which was scheduled to open in the second half of 2009, has been extinguished. All 64 Mandarin Oriental employees, who are located at an offsite pre-opening office, are safe. We would like to express our appreciation to everyone who has conveyed their concern about this sad incident. It is too early at the present stage to assess the full extent of the damage. We understand that a full investigation is underway and will take time to complete. Mandarin Oriental has signed a long term contract to manage the hotel and has no ownership interest in the building. Further updates will be issued as appropriate.
Please read our earlier in-depth introduction of the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong, as well as its in-room technology.
Source:
Mandarin Oriental/iReport/CNN
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A massive fire engulfed a newly constructed, unoccupied luxury hotel in central Beijing on Monday night as crowds watched a nearby fireworks display marking the end of Lunar New Year celebrations.
The cause of the blaze at the 40-story Mandarin Oriental is not known and there were no reports of injuries, according to CNN staff members who were at the scene. The fire began about 9 p.m. and continued to burn an hour later.
A plume of flames shot from the top of the structure as the fire quickly spread.
iReporter Jean de Villeneuve lives about 200 yards (200 meters) from the fire and said she watched it for about an hour before firefighters got it under control. De Villeneuve, who is originally from France, said she was surprised at how close spectators were allowed to get before authorities established a perimeter."I looked and saw the huge tower full of fire, and there were hundreds of Chinese down near my apartment taking pictures," she said. "If this had been the United States, you would think a perimeter would be secured, but there was nothing like that." Watch flames devour the hotel »
De Villeneuve said she and others were able to get within 60 yards of the fire.
The state-run Xinhua news agency reported that more than 1,000 people in the area were evacuated, "traffic controls were imposed" on a major highway and authorities temporarily stopped subway service on a line serving the area."Snow-like ashes fell as far as [half a mile] from the building and smoke eclipsed the full moon," Xinhua reported of the blaze in the capital's central business district.
iReporter Fred Rice, a British national who lives in Beijing, said "the top of the building was exploding."
"We weren't sure if it was gas canisters or what. It was a spectacular sight for sure," he said.
iReporter Stephen Chaytor said he was walking home from work when he saw the fire.
"It was spreading incredibly fast. It was obvious that there was a lot of debris on site -- that debris ignited very quickly," Chaytor said. "Fire took control of building [and] within less than 13 minutes, it went from small flames to being totally engulfed in flames."He said a crowd of onlookers gathered around the scene, as well as fire and emergency crews who worked to control the blaze.
"There was a quiet concern for people that may be involved, working in the building or close to construction site," he said.
The fire reached past the 30th floor, but did not spread to any adjacent buildings. The hotel is next to a newly constructed tower for China Central Television (CCTV), but no one has moved into that building either.
The blaze erupted in the final hours of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration as people set off fireworks across the city.
Xinhua reported that Beijing residents were supposed to stop selling and lighting fireworks by midnight. iReporter de Villeneuve said she suspects many people in the city were trying to use whatever remaining fireworks they had before the deadline."We have been seeing fireworks for the past two weeks. I have to say this is quite a surprise," she said.
iReporter Rice said he was watching fireworks nearby when he noticed that fireworks were being set off near the buildings.
"Then we looked closer and saw the flames come from the top of the building," Rice said. "Soon became apparent that the building was on fire."
The modern, angular building was a sign of Beijing's recent transformation and modernization. It had been scheduled to open late last year, but the opening was postponed until this year, though most of the building had been constructed.According to its Web site, the Mandarin Oriental-Beijing is the flagship property in China for the Mandarin Oriental hotel chain.
The tower stands more than 500 feet high and contains 241 rooms, Xinhua reported.
Statement in response to the fire at the development site of Mandarin Oriental, Beijing by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group:
Mandarin Oriental, Beijing was scheduled to open in the summer of 2009. The property currently employs 60 staff, all of whom work in pre-opening offices near to the hotel, which were empty at the time of the fire. We do not believe that anyone has been injured in the blaze. Mandarin Oriental has signed a long-term contract to manage the hotel and has no ownership interest in the building. Our local management team are doing all they can to help the authorities to ensure the safety and security of everyone involved. It is too early at the present stage to assess the damage, but we will make further updates as soon as we have more information.
Updated Statement In Response To The Fire At The Construction Site Of Mandarin Oriental, Beijing:
We can confirm that the fire at the construction site of Mandarin Oriental, Beijing, which was scheduled to open in the second half of 2009, has been extinguished. All 64 Mandarin Oriental employees, who are located at an offsite pre-opening office, are safe. We would like to express our appreciation to everyone who has conveyed their concern about this sad incident. It is too early at the present stage to assess the full extent of the damage. We understand that a full investigation is underway and will take time to complete. Mandarin Oriental has signed a long term contract to manage the hotel and has no ownership interest in the building. Further updates will be issued as appropriate.
Please read our earlier in-depth introduction of the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong, as well as its in-room technology.
Source:
Mandarin Oriental/iReport/CNN
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