Fire at Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Beijing

On the evening of February 9, 2009, a fire broke out in the affiliated cultural center building under construction in the new site park of CCTV in East Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, and the open flame was extinguished six hours later. It is understood that the fire building is the North Annex of the new CCTV building, with a total of 50 floors. The main structure has been completed, but it has not yet been put into use, and only a small number of staff are on duty here. After the fire broke out on the 30th floor, it spread from top to bottom. By the time the firemen arrived, the fire had spread to the ground floor. Firefighters set up water guns to try to suppress the fire and prevent it from igniting nearby residential buildings. According to the Beijing Municipal Government Information Office, the cause of the fire was initially found to be the illegal discharge of fireworks, and the specific cause is still under investigation. On the evening of February 9, 2009, a fire broke out at the construction site of the affiliated cultural center building in the new site of Beijing CCTV, which affected the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Beijing. Hong Kong-based Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group said that the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Beijing was originally planned to open this summer, but now it seems that the opening time can only be postponed.

In response to our reporter's inquiry, the group said that the hotel could not provide detailed information on the extent of fire damage. The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Beijing employs 60 local employees, who are responsible for the decoration preparation before opening. They were not in the building when the incident happened, so there were no casualties in the hotel. The management of the Group has held a meeting this morning to discuss the follow-up related matters, and there is no more information to announce. The group only said that the local management team is doing its best to cooperate with the relevant authorities to ensure safety and carry out the aftermath. It is reported that the fire lasted about 6 hours and was basically put out at 2 am on 10. There is no open fire outside the building. Seven firefighters were injured in the fire, and one of them died after being rescued. According to CCTV news, the main structure of the cultural center has not been seriously affected. Preliminary investigation showed that the fire was caused by illegal fireworks.