An unlicensed fireworks display in Beijing, China, sparked a blaze which destroyed a luxury hotel and killed a 30 y.o. fireman.
The Beijing fire department said that fireworks set off by the state run TV corporation CCTV, to celebrate the Lunar New Year were to blame for the fire that destroyed the nearly finished Mandarin Oriental hotel.
A fire department spokesman said CCTV had hired a fireworks company to ignite several hundred large fireworks in an open area by the hotel. Video footage posted on Youtube showed spectacular bursts of fireworks above the top of the building in downtown Beijing.
"According to the Beijing fire department, this fire occurred because the person in charge of the construction of the new building project of CCTV, without permission, hired staff to set off fireworks that violated regulations," China Central Television said in a statement on its Web site.
China's state-run television has apologized for the unlicensed fireworks display that sparked the blaze, saying it was deeply grieved "for the severe damage the fire caused to the country's property."
The fire, which sent off huge plumes of black smoke and showered the ground with embers, left one firefighter dead and a handful of others injured. The blaze was put out early Tuesday after burning for more than five hours.
The 159-metre (520-foot) Mandarin Oriental, designed by Netherlands architects Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren, was part of a stunning CCTV complex that helped transform the capital's skyline for last year's Olympics.
The dynamic Z-shaped CCTV tower next to the hotel quickly became a symbol of a modernizing and powerful China. The whole complex cost 5 billion yuan ($731 million), according to Xinhua.
The fireworks were similar to those used during the Beijing Olympics. The fire department spokesperson said because the fireworks were much more powerful than what was available at roadside stalls during the Lunar New Year holiday, approval was needed from the city government before they could be set off in downtown areas.
"The owners of the property ignored police warnings that such fireworks were not allowed," he added.
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 the firework exception, marking the first full moon since the Lunar New Year, and massive barrages exploded in open spaces throughout the city.
Edited from Source CNN from Reuters
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