By: Steve Dellar | 12-12-2017 | News
Photo credit: @laowaiatlarge | Twitter

Video - Asia's Tallest Pagoda Destroyed in Fire

To the sounds of screaming onlookers, one of the world’s largest wooden structures, a pagoda in China was reduced to charred wood and ash as a fire broke out, causing it to collapse in a matter of hours.

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The Buddhist holy site known as Lingguan Mansion, in Mianzhu City, China, started to burn at around 12.40 pm, local authorities stated via Chinese social networking platform Weibo.

As it was difficult to get near the pagoda with trucks, firefighters only managed to put out the flames some four hours later, by which time prayer hall had been entirely razed to the ground. No casualties have been reported.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">16-storey wooden pagoda burnt down to the ground in Sichuan Province, China. <a href="https://t.co/9WSne08mHd">pic.twitter.com/9WSne08mHd</a></p>&mdash; Augustus S. Lee (@1984to1776) <a href="https://twitter.com/1984to1776/status/939789950299656192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2017</a></blockquote>

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The monastery was originally built during the Ming dynasty and had previously collapsed in a 2008 earthquake. Government sponsored restoration work was still underway when the devastating fire broke out.

The cause of the fire is at this point still unknown, and Chinese local authorities have assured the public to launch a full investigation.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Heartbreaking image of a fire at a pagoda in Sichuan yesterday. Under construction for 8 years, still unfinished, goes up in flames over the weekend. <a href="https://t.co/62alnUgAE6">https://t.co/62alnUgAE6</a> <a href="https://t.co/KsyhxG12L7">pic.twitter.com/KsyhxG12L7</a></p>&mdash; Keegan Elmer (@BaGongWatch) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaGongWatch/status/940063370387931137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2017</a></blockquote>

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Horrified onlookers can be heard gasping in shock while watching the structure burn. Many on social media in China expressed their desire for it to be rebuilt quickly.

Source:

http://metro.co.uk/2017/12/11/historic-wooden-pagoda-reduced-pile-ash-fire-rips-holy-site-7149416/

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5 Comment/s
Anonymous No. 13868 2017-12-12 : 16:54

I know they want to keep the old wooden style for historical purposes, but if they want to rebuild they better make it a more modern structure.

Anonymous No. 13870 2017-12-12 : 17:02

Another religion of violence getting it’s just reward. Martial arts, deadly weapons, gun powder, fanatic attackers of Pearl Harbor(Japanese Buddhists, all samey same), and raman noodles.

Anonymous No. 13884 2017-12-12 : 23:34

A Buddhist temple burned in China? Purely a coincidence. le General Tso's Chicken Merchant rubs palms

Pearl Harbor, though, wasn't an unprovoked attack. The US was already heavily involved, sending aid to China and interfering with Japanese shipping; a formal declaration was inevitable. The Japs tried to cripple our navy with the attack but the most important asset, the aircraft carriers, were conveniently sent away on a training mission that day. Interestingly, the Australian government had warned the American government of the encroaching Japs and there was no mass evacuation of Pearl Harbor. Needed the high casualty count for the newspapers to rile up the American public for war, you know?

Anonymous No. 13890 2017-12-13 : 01:42

oh no :( this is sad.

Anonymous No. 13928 2017-12-13 : 15:21

Probably one of the construction workers was smoking and didnt put his cigarette out right. Damn!! Too bad.

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