Workers prepare to rebuild the hotel adjacent to the new CCTV headquarters. [Photo: Beijing Urban Construction Group]

A hotel adjacent to the new China Central Television (CCTV) headquarters in Beijing launched its reconstruction work on Wednesday following its fireworks-fueled blaze in February last year, the Beijing Times reports.

The reconstruction company, Beijing Urban Construction Group, says tests suggest that the hotel's major architectural and internal features were not harmed by the fire and only some parts need a repair.

It says the main building and its annex will only be rebuilt after the damaged parts have been cleaned in an environmentally-friendly way. The outer part of building will retain its previous design.

The blaze that gutted the 30-story building in Beijing's Central Business District on February 9, 2009 was caused by an illegal fireworks display. One fireman died and six firemen and two construction workers were injured. The cost of the fire was estimated at more than 160 million Yuan (23.44 million U.S. dollars).