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Pay no attention to that burning building

Rocky Mountain News

Published February 16, 2009 at 12:05 a.m.

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Employees of China's national TV network, celebrating the lunar new year with illegal fireworks, managed to lob a skyrocket onto the roof of a nearly complete ultramodern hotel adjoining their own headquarters building.

The resulting fire gutted the 44-story structure, leaving a charred, smoking shell looming over the Beijing skyline. Despite their complicity in the blaze, you would think this would be a real break for China TV's reporters: How great is it to be able to cover one of the biggest stories of the year simply by looking out your office window?

But China's ever alert propaganda office immediately issued a directive: "No photos, no videos, no in-depth reports." Fortunately, technology, the bane of the censors' existence, prevailed, and amateur photos and videos were posted on the Internet faster than the authorities could block them.

Still, pity the poor official tour guide who is required to respond to a tourist's question about a 44-story fire-blackened hulk in central Beijing with, "Building? What building?"

Comments

  • February 16, 2009

    7:37 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    ghoax writes:

    it was a crummy building anyway...

  • February 16, 2009

    8:10 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    FlyfishDude52 writes:

    My question is, "How can an "ultra modern" building be gutted by fire?" I guess they still build high-rise buildings in china with highly combustable materials. Like nearly everything else in china. Sub-standard.

  • February 16, 2009

    9:02 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    fnvgis writes:

    It is interesting that this building in China was totally consumed by fire and burned like an inferno for many hours and yet did not collapse. However, a similar structure - building 7 of the World Trade Center collapsed on 9/11after suffering only small fires for a relatively short period of time. What do you think about that?

  • February 16, 2009

    9:19 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    rickg19611 writes:

    fnvgis writes:

    "It is interesting that this building in China was totally consumed by fire and burned like an inferno for many hours and yet did not collapse. However, a similar structure - building 7 of the World Trade Center collapsed on 9/11after suffering only small fires for a relatively short period of time. What do you think about that?"

    What do I think about two unrelated events, with different factors involved, resulting in two distinct outcomes?

    I think you need to lay off the moonshine.

  • February 16, 2009

    2:12 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    p_myers661 writes:

    fnvgi

    Can you say asbestos? I'd guess they don't have the enviro nuts there that prevented the original design including asbestos from being completed at the WTT.

    Guess it was a better idea to ignore them? The building in China was under construction so most likely open to the sky which permitted the fireworks to burn building materials, which burn at a much lower temperature than jet fuel.

    Science is real pain when it runs into nutty conspiracy theories and totally destroys them, again.

  • February 16, 2009

    4:03 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    MM2 writes:

    fnvgis: You know what is really interesting? Since building 7 collapsed, I haven't seen a *single* commercial with Mr. Owl explaining the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.

    Wheels within wheels, brother.