Beijing Mandarin Oriental Hotel On Fire

ralphrepo · Feb 9, 2009

People are speculating that a nearby fireworks display may have accidentally triggered the inferno. One heck of a fire:

In a rush? For a quick synopsis, just read the red highlighted lines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ6aEqAlTVU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUzotlriBKQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B1OnhSucP8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_XunviQ-L8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hSPFL2Zlpg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmQSprmu9rE

Fire engulfs landmark of skyline in Beijing
The Associated Press
Monday, February 9, 2009

BEIJING: A new 44-story luxury hotel in central Beijing was engulfed in flames Monday after being showered with sparks from fireworks set off during the biggest Chinese holiday. There were no reports of deaths or injuries. The Mandarin Oriental hotel, designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and still under construction, caught fire sometime before 9 p.m. 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. At least seven fire crews were on the scene and the police held back crowds of onlookers and closed a nearby elevated highway to ensure safety. One onlooker, Li Jian, said he saw smoke rise from the roof of the hotel shortly after a huge burst of fireworks showered it with sparks, though it was not clear if the sparks had 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 give any details. Crews had largely extinguished the larger flames about three hours after the fire began, although hotspots continued to flicker. Beijing usually tightly restricts the use of fireworks in the city center, but waives the rules each year during the Lunar New Year holiday. Monday, 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 hotel, which had been due to open this year, is next to the Z-shaped headquarters of China Central Television, a major prestige project for the city. The television headquarters was not burning. The Mandarin Oriental had been expected to be one of the most luxurious hotels in Beijing, with 241 rooms. Both buildings were designed by Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren for the firm OMA. Both were nearing the end of construction. The fire had 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.

The building at the center of the blaze was used during the Beijing Olympics last year, the Xinhua news agency said, citing an unidentified CCTV staff member. Companies moved out after the games finished, the report said. The hotel employs 60 staff all of whom work in pre-opening offices nearby, Mandarin Oriental said. The offices were empty when the fire began. The company does not own the building. The building features an angular loop of glass and steel. The CCTV project, valued at 5 billion yuan, or $731 million, has been nicknamed "da kucha," or "big shorts," by city residents, alluding to the double tower connected at the top.

Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/09/asia/beijing.4-426311.php
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1. I certainly hope no one was hurt. 2. I hope they had fire insurance. In any case, I bet that New Year's fireworks waiver is going to be subject to review.

brown_bear · Feb 9, 2009

whuts with all the fires at the moment....
aussi land was hit ubbbbbber badly with fires as well....=/

hz3 · Feb 9, 2009

bush fires...sadd

GoldServe · Feb 10, 2009

whoa...and no formal reports elsewhere...

ralphrepo · Feb 10, 2009

Updates:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh7cq0jggkA&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cut8QxM7G90&feature=related

maxxtng · Feb 10, 2009

so many bad fires case in so many countries hiaz

dickson · Feb 10, 2009

the vic fires has spread to china -_-

ralphrepo · Feb 10, 2009

Latest Update:

In a rush? For a quick synopsis, just read the red highlighted lines.

Chinese broadcaster sorry for deadly hotel fire

CCTV: Staffers overseeing new TV complex hired people to set off firecrackers

It added that this was done outside the building without prior approval

Blaze engulfed neighboring hotel during final hours of new year celebrations

Modern, angular building is a symbol of Beijing's modernization

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A Chinese television station has apologized for Monday's massive fire at an unoccupied luxury hotel that killed a firefighter and wounded seven other people. Central China Television (CCTV) said in its apology that staffers who were overseeing the construction of a new television complex in central Beijing hired people to set off large firecrackers outside the building without prior approval. The resulting fire engulfed the newly constructed 40-story Mandarin Oriental, located next door. One firefighter died of smoke inhalation, Beijing officials said Tuesday. Six other firefighters and a construction worker were recuperating in hospitals.

The blaze erupted in the final hours of new year's celebrations as people set off fireworks across the city. 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. "It was spreading incredibly fast," said another witness, Stephen Chaytor. "It went from small flames to being totally engulfed in flames."

Beijing residents were supposed to stop selling and lighting fireworks by midnight, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. 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.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/02/10/china.hotel.fire/index.html?iref=werecommend
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CCTV sorry for fatal fireworks blaze at center
Wednesday, February 11, 2009

State-run broadcaster CCTV apologized yesterday for an unlicensed Olympics-style fireworks display that sparked a blaze that left a firefighter dead and destroyed a luxury hotel in its headquarters complex in downtown Beijing.The blaze, which was put out after burning for five hours early yesterday, engulfed a nearly completed 30-story cultural center that was to house Mandarin Oriental's flagship China hotel, a television studio and IT center. China Central Television was to open its new base in October. "CCTV is deeply sorry the fire caused severe losses to state property," said a statement, which did not admit direct responsibility for the blaze. "CCTV sincerely apologizes to people who live nearby for the inconvenience and for the traffic jams [caused by the fire]." The pyrotechnics display - reportedly with hundreds of fireworks - was to mark the official end of the Lunar New Year celebrations. The hotel stood just 200 meters from the CCTV tower - dubbed the "Flappy Trousers Building" by Beijingers - which had already won fame ahead of its opening as one of the capital's most stunning structures. Both buildings were designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas' Office of Metropolitan Architecture. A 30-year-old male firefighter died after inhaling toxic fumes while battling the blaze. Seven other people were injured, but Mandarin Oriental said no one was in the hotel when the fire started. City government officials said the exterior of the cultural center and hotel were severely damaged, while the external walls of the 234m CCTV tower were burned but its structure was not harmed. CCTV did not said say whether the fire would push back the October opening. Authorities said CCTV defied police warnings. "The owner caused the fire because it violated regulations and set off fireworks at the construction site," said Zhu Xu, a spokesman with the Beijing government.

CCTV staff recorded the fireworks show, which involved pyrotechnics far stronger than the public was allowed to use, Xinhua News Agency quoted Beijing Fire Control Bureau Luo Yuan as saying. "Owners of the property ignored policemen's warnings that such fireworks were not allowed," Luo said. He said the people who set off the fireworks were detained for questioning.

Source: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=10&art_id=78081&sid=22646481&con_type=3
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Well, someone's about to go to jail for the new year. What a bunch of Boneheads... -noclue

And this guy just about sums it up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoFvZgw3Fxs

fearless_fx · Feb 10, 2009

Too bad its not year of the dragon, a flaming hotel might be translated into an interesting omen for the coming year.

shishixp · Feb 10, 2009

what a way to start off the new year -.-"

Flames · Feb 10, 2009

fearless_fx said: ↑

Too bad its not year of the dragon, a flaming hotel might be translated into an interesting omen for the coming year.
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flaming....
dragon....
that won't go well with me for this year....=="
Sad how one firefighter must die over someone else's stupidity....

Beijing Mandarin Oriental Hotel On Fire

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