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Mandarin Oriental Beijing After the Fire

Flickr member Sam Ose has these sad pics of the once under construction Mandarin Oriental Beijing which was destroyed by a terrible fire last week during the Chinese New Year festivities. While the building remains upright, it is burned throughout.

Arrests are still being made in the blaze, which was caused by a fireworks show that went off at the neighboring China Central Television station and which killed one city firefighter. 12 people were arrestd last week and the other day, five more were charged with transporting fireworks to the station's own construction site next to the not-yet-completed hotel.

Meanwhile, Mandarin Oriental has put out their own statement on the hotel:

It is too early at the present stage to assess the full extent of the damage. We understand that a full investigation is underway and will take time to complete. Mandarin Oriental has signed a long term contract to manage the hotel and has no ownership interest in the building. Further updates will be issued as appropriate.

It's suffice to say it's going to take a couple of years for the hotel to be rebuilt. Whether Mandarin Oriental will be the hotel brand in there, we can't really say.