[First-line interview]The 218-meter telecom building in Changsha is on fire with black smoke billowing | China Telecom building | thick smoke billowing |

[Epoch Times, September 16, 2022](Epoch Times reporters Li Yun and Hong Ning interviewed and reported) On September 16, the 218-meter-high China Telecom Building in Changsha caught fire. The scene was billowing with black smoke, and the fire was blazing into the sky. Several witnesses described “similar to the movie, so scary” and burned the entire building in 10 minutes. Casualties are currently unknown.

Hunan Telecom reported that at about 15:30 on the 16th, a fire broke out on the outer wall of the Hehuayuan Telecom Building of China Telecom Hunan Company, and the open fire has now been extinguished. The company has taken the initiative to cut off the power, and the specific cause of the fire is under investigation, and no casualties have been found so far.
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According to Hunan media reports, on the afternoon of the 16th, a fire broke out in the China Telecom building on the east side of Changsha City, Hunan Province. Thick smoke billowed on the scene, and dozens of buildings burned violently.

The live video showed that the whole building was shrouded in black smoke and roaring fire, billowing black smoke straight into the sky, and explosions were constantly heard.

At 5 p.m., Ms. Li, the owner of the community near the Telecom Building, told The Epoch Times: “I’m 10 minutes away from the Telecom Building. Near the community, all I see is thick smoke billowing. I hope no one is injured, and the burnt thing is gone. When we arrived in our community, we heard the sound of explosions.”

Ms. Li said that she also heard the sound of the ambulance and fire truck, and that many firefighters went to the area, and she can still hear the sound of the car now. “I didn’t see it when I went to pick up the courier. As soon as it came out, the fire was very big. It burned out in 10 minutes, and it burned very fast.”

She said: “It was time for work, there must have been quite a few people, and the specific situation is not clear. I don’t know if the people in the building came out safely. At present, the fire is out, but the building is considered abandoned. The building is on fire.”

People nearby: It’s as scary as a movie

At 5:00 p.m., Ms. Cao, a resident opposite the Telecom Building, told the Epoch Times reporter: “I didn’t know the fire started at first, it was about 4:00 p.m., and it started to burn to the top, just like a movie. It’s terrifying.”

“The fireball jumped from the upstairs to the downstairs and the street. Later, I saw the fireball fall down. The whole road was full of falling fires.” Ms. Cao revealed, “In addition to the telecommunications personnel in the building, there are also There are thousands of people from other companies.”

She said: “At present, the fire fighting has not been completely completed. Now the firefighters should be checking the interior of the building. The surrounding area is all sealed off, and the shops and personnel have all been evacuated. I have to check the power supply and evacuate as soon as possible.”

At about 5:40 pm, two open flames appeared in the windows of the telecommunications building.

Mr. Zhao, a resident next to the Telecom Building, also told the Epoch Times reporter: “I’m right next to the building, about 200 meters away. Now it’s all sealed off, and the area around 1 mile is under martial law. We all ran outside and said yes. It was caused by the billboard, and there was a southerly wind at that time, and it jumped up all of a sudden.”

Mr. Zhao saw the building catch fire with his own eyes, “It burned to the top of the building within ten minutes, and the fire suddenly started up by the wind. Once it started, the billboards and other plastic things fell from the top, carrying fire, It’s scary, the building is burning outside, and the people inside should have all run out, the details are not clear, they are all sealed.

Mr. Zhao said: “The fire should be out now, the leaders are here, the provincial government is here, and it is only 1 km away from the railway station. This is a big event, and the whole country knows it. The person in charge of the advertising unit must be responsible.”

A local resident told the Epoch Times reporter that some telecommunications and mobile phone signals may have been affected, and calls could not be made. The reporter dialed the mobile phones and landlines of residents around the building, but some could not be connected.

Local netizens also posted, “Changsha Telecom Building is on fire. The fire is very big! Huge smoke!”

“The whole building burned down, it’s terrible!” “It burned down in 10 minutes. I heard that people didn’t have time to run…because there were countless explosions inside…and there were a lot of batteries.” “What material is the building made of? 10 It’s over in minutes!”

Luo Haodong, who was in the telecommunications building where the incident happened, posted, “I ran down from the 34th floor and lost half my life. I didn’t feel the fire at the beginning. The whole building was on fire in a few minutes.” Many people in the building also reported that they were safe. Said he had escaped.

It is understood that the incident telecommunications building was built in 2000 and is located in Jintai Plaza, East Second Ring Road, Changsha City. It once became the first skyscraper in Hunan with a height of 63 floors and 218 meters.

Responsible editor: Fang Ming#