SHANGRI-LA fire investigation

PKG

INTRO

First, the latest on the fire that ripped through an ancient town in southwest China's Shangri-la county.

The blaze has been extinguished, but concerns over commercial development of ancient towns and safety awareness remain key issues.

PKG

The fire broke out at 1:37 a.m. on Saturday at the Ruyi Inn in the Dukezong in Shangri-la, a resort county in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Most houses there are made of wood, which made fighting the fire even more difficult.

Locals also said fire engines could not get through the narrow streets and some fire hydrants were empty.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE): Rescuer

"The wind was quite strong, and firemen couldn't get water since some fire hydrants were frozen. Besides, they had to use big machines to broaden the road to allow fire engines in."

The head of the local fire department said there'll be an investigation following reports of a lack of water in hydrants.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE): CHEN TIANCHANG, Head of local fire department

"We've noticed such reports and we'll carry out a comprehensive, objective and in-depth probe."

More than 240 houses were damaged and another 43 houses had to be dismantled to prevent the fire from spreading.

Local shop owners have suffered huge commercial losses.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE): LI PEIJI, Shop owner:

"We sell silver products, and we lost almost everything, because silver has a low melting point. All the silverware, silver bracelets, they all melted. All gone. Our loss is about one million yuan... "

The director of the local cultural relics protection department said the town was originally designed carefully to prevent fires.

But as tourism has boomed in recent years, the town has struggled to accommodate more visitors, and measures to prevent fires are often ignored.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE): LI GANG, Diqing Cultural Relics Protection Dept

"Many residents want to have more rooms available for rent so they can make more money; therefore, they often rebuild their one-storey building into two storeys. Such buildings increase fire risks and make it more difficult to put out the blaze. We have to take action to prevent such tragedies."

After the fire was put out, the ancient town, covered by a thin veil of snow, is left in ruins.

SOUNDBITE (CHINESE): Dukezong resident

"There were not many old houses in the town, and now all you can see is the rubble. I'm really sad. I don't know what to say..."