Scenes reminiscent of a disaster movie took hold in a Chinese city this week when a huge sign on a hotel roof caught fire and sent smouldering debris cascading to the ground hundreds of feet below.
Photos taken from a neighbouring high-rise show flames licking around the top of the building in the city of Changsha, in the Hunan Province, on July 28.
Pedestrians fled for cover and emergency services raced to the scene to quell the blaze which threatened to engulf several stories of the structure.
According to local authorities, there were no casualties in the fire either in the building or on the ground despite the intense blaze.
Changsha has been no stranger to large building fires, in 2022 a massive 218-metre-tall office tower caught fire with dramatic images showing flames and smoke rising above the city.
Investigations have reportedly revealed that the fire was caused by a short circuit in the hotel sign.
Chinese authorities said the rapid response of the fire department played a crucial role in preventing any potential injuries or fatalities.
Elsewhere in China, a few weeks ago a huge inferno gutted a 14-storey shopping centre in Zigong, Sichuan province, killing at least 16 people.
Another 75 people were pulled to safety by fire services, according to the state-owned Xinhua news agency
On September 16, 2022, a major blaze broke out in Changsha when a 42-floor building housing an office housing the state-owned company China Telecom, according to the state broadcaster CCTV.
China Telecom said in a statement on social media: “By about 4:30pm today, the fire at our No 2 Communications Tower in Changsha has been extinguished.
“No casualties have yet been discovered and communications have not been cut off.”
Changsha is the capital of Hunan province and has a population of around 10 million. The 218-metre (715ft) building was completed in 2000
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