Towering inferno as huge fire on high rise hotel sends flames dripping onto street after light up sign ‘short circuited’
A MASSIVE fire caused by a short circuit broke out at a high-rise hotel in China.
The hotel’s rooftop billboard reportedly caught fire, sending sparks and flaming debris dripping down to the ground.
Fire trucks rushed to the scene to control the blaze as it engulfed the entire building.
Local cops confirmed that the fire was later contained and extinguished later that night.
Investigations revealed that the fire was caused by a short circuit in the hotel sign.
No casualties were reported as the blaze was brought under control.
Just a few weeks ago, a huge inferno engulfed a 14-storey shopping centre in China – killing at least 16 people.
Footage showed towering plumes of black smoke engulfing the building in Zigong, Sichuan province.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and pulled 75 people to safety, news agency Xinhua reports.
While the cause of the fire is unknown, early reports suggest it could have been caused by construction at the huge shopping centre.
The building is home to a department store, offices, restaurants and a movie theatre.
China battles an ongoing problem of fire hazards, with 947 fire-related fatalities from the beginning of this year through to mid-May.
Li Wanfeng, spokesperson for the National Fire and Rescue Administration, said the figures were up almost 20 per cent from the previous year.
In January, a fire killed 39 people in a commercial building in the southeastern province of Jiangxi.
And in February, another 15 people were killed in a residential building in Nanjing, when a parking lot that housed electric bikes caught fire.
In April last year, at least 21 people died in a tragic fire at a hospital in China’s capital city, Beijing.