The Peking University Gymnasium, the table tennis venue for the
2008 Olympic Games, caught fire at around 8 AM
yesterday but there were no casualties, a witness told China
Daily.
"The fire was brought under control after about an hour," an
official with the Beijing Fire Brigade was quoted by Xinhua News
Agency as saying.
The news agency reported that the fire was ignited by "improper
practices" in the construction work but provided no details.
The 26,900-sq-m building, located in the northwest of the city,
is scheduled to hold a test event in December.
Officials from the Beijing 2008 Olympic Project Construction
Headquarters, which is in charge of the construction of all Games
venues, refused to say whether the fire would affect the test
event. They added that the cause of the fire is under
investigation.
According to the fire brigade, the fire swept 1,000 sq m and the
western part of the building's roof was destroyed.
A spokesman for the brigade told Xinhua that they received an
emergency call at 8:14 AM, and rushed 17 fire engines to the
site.
"The fire broke out in the southwestern corner of the gym. It
destroyed some heat preservation material on the outside of the
gym, but did not impact the girders and the main structure," a
Peking University spokesman told Xinhua.
"We do not think the test events to be held here in December
will be affected," the spokesman said. "Classes and student life
are continuing normally."
The venue is one of 11 being built for the Games. Construction
started in September 2005, and is designed to hold 8,000
spectators. It was originally scheduled for completion next
month.
(China Daily July 3, 2007)
