The entire building in Changsha, located in central China, is currently engulfed in flames. Let’s take a deeper look at the fire of the Chinese skyscraper and the events that took place inside the 42-story structure.
China skyscraper fire
Where is the 42-story skyscraper located?
On Friday, a fire broke out in a skyscraper in the city of Changsha, located in central China. Officials say no injuries have been reported so far.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, China Telecom’s office is located in a 42-story tower and is where the fire started.
“Thick smoke billowed from the scene as dozens of floors burned violently,” according to CCTV footage of the incident.
In a post later on social media, the province’s fire department said that “at this time the fire has been extinguished and we have not yet located any casualties.”
What happened?
In the first-ever image released by CCTV, fiery orange flames could be seen shooting through the building in the middle of a densely populated part of the city, while thick black smoke billowed into the air.
On Friday afternoon, a major fire broke out at a high-rise office building belonging to China Telecom in downtown Changsha, capital of Hunan province, as reported by CCTV (Sept. 16) .
According to CCTV information, a major fire broke out on the afternoon of September 16 at a high-rise office building belonging to China Telecom in downtown Changsha, the capital of Hunan province in southern China.
A photograph taken later and shared on social media claimed to show the blaze had been extinguished as firefighters sprayed water cannons at the scorched facade of the building.
According to a statement posted on social media by China Telecom, the fire burning in our No. 2 communication tower in Changsha was extinguished at 4:30 p.m. today. There have been no communications disruptions and no injuries have yet been reported.
A video circulating on social media claimed to show hundreds of people fleeing the structure as smoldering rubble fell from the upper floors. AFP could not verify the clip immediately after viewing it. About 10 million people live in Changsha, which is the capital of Hunan Province.
CCTV shows that the construction of the skyscraper, which is 218 meters (715 feet) high and is located near a major ring road, was completed in the year 2000.
In China, fatal fires are common because building regulations are not properly enforced and widespread illegal construction makes it difficult, if not impossible, for people to escape burning structures.
What happened in the 42-story building
What did state media report?
In July last year, a fire in a warehouse in the northeastern province of Jilin killed at least 15 people and injured at least 25, according to sources quoted by state media.
A fire that broke out a month earlier at a martial arts school in northern Henan province killed 18 people, most of them children. This event sparked a discussion on the standards that govern fire safety.
In 2010, 58 people were killed when a major fire engulfed a 28-story apartment complex in Shanghai, China. In 2017, two fires that broke out in Beijing’s migrant slums claimed the lives of two dozen more people.
Major fire ravages skyscraper in Changsha, central China
Authorities in the city of Changsha, located in central China, said no injuries were reported following the fire that broke out in a tall building.
According to a report by state broadcaster CCTV, the fire started on the 42nd floor of a building that houses an office of state-owned telecommunications company China Telecom.
According to CCTV footage, “thick smoke billowed from the area” and “dozens of floors burned with terrifying intensity”.
In a later social media post, the provincial fire department said that “at this time the fire has been extinguished and we have not yet detected any casualties.”
An early photograph taken by CCTV and made public showed orange flames tearing through the structure in a densely populated part of the city as plumes of black smoke rose into the air.
A later image that was uploaded to social media appeared to show the flames had been extinguished, with emergency personnel spraying water jets at the charred facade of the building.
In a statement posted on social media, China Telecom said “the fire in our No. 2 communication tower in Changsha was extinguished at around 4:30 p.m. today.”
“At this time, no casualties have been reported and communication has not been interrupted.”
It appeared in a video posted on social media that hundreds of people were evacuating the building as fire debris rained down from the upper floors. The clip could not be independently verified by AFP.
About 10 million people inhabit Changsha, the city that serves as the provincial capital of Hunan.
CCTV shows that the building, which stands at a height of 218 meters (715 feet), is near a major ring road.
In China, people often lose their lives in fires because the enforcement of building codes is inadequate and there is rampant unauthorized construction, which prevents people from escaping from burning buildings.
According to state media, a fire at a warehouse in the northeastern province of Jilin occurred in July last year and killed at least 15 people and injured at least 25 others.
A month earlier, a fire at a martial arts school in the central region of Henan province claimed the lives of 18 people, most of them young people, and sparked an uproar over fire safety requirements .
Fires claimed the lives of 24 more people in Beijing’s migrant neighborhoods in 2017, while 58 people were killed in a blaze that tore through a 28-storey residential complex in Shanghai in 2010.
