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VIDEO: Tower inferno crisis as fire breaks out in 715-foot high-rise in China
State media reports indicate that there were about 2,000 people in the building and that all were evacuated
September 16, 2022 12:29pm
Updated: September 16, 2022 2:03pm
A fire on Friday affected a 218-meter (715 feet) high office building in the city of Changsha, capital of China's Hunan province, reported local media cited by Reuters.
Dozens of floors of the building "burned with great intensity," sending a dense smoke into the sky, reported state broadcaster CCTV, which also confirmed that the fire was extinguished, although the number of victims is still unknown.
In videos posted on social networks, a thick black column can be seen coming out of the building. Several people can also be seen trying to flee to avoid being hit by the flames.
"According to a preliminary investigation, [the fire] may have started in an exterior wall of the building," Hunan province firefighters said on the social network Weibo, La Nación reported.
The firefighters also confirmed that the work of removing debris and controlling the flames that persisted inside the building ended at around 18:00 local time.
❗️In #China, the skyscraper of the largest telecom operator China Telecom in #Changsha is on fire. Hundreds of people could be burned alive. pic.twitter.com/GDNC74k8Tj
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 16, 2022
The wall where the fire allegedly started contains dozens of air conditioners and a large number of computer rooms. Witnesses told Chinese media HK01 that they heard explosions and that many people were trapped.
However, other reports indicate that there were about 2,000 people in the building and that all were evacuated, according to La Nacion.
The affected tower houses the offices of state-owned telecommunications company China Telecom, which said it had cut the power supply to its offices. It also announced that the specific cause of the fire will be investigated.
The affected building has 42 floors and 2 underground floors. It is said to have been built in 2000, so it has moderately modern fire systems, which would have potentially prevented a great loss of life, added the above-mentioned media.
