Thousand-year-old Tibetan town burns to the ground in intense ten hour blaze

[n2doc]

BEIJING — A fire that raged for nearly 10 hours Saturday razed an ancient Tibetan town in southwest China that’s popular with tourists, burning down hundreds of buildings as fire engines were unable to get onto the narrow streets, state media and witnesses said.

There was no immediate report of any casualties, and the cause of the fire was not yet known. State media, citing local authorities, said the blaze started in a guesthouse and was ruled accidental.

The fire broke out at about 1:30 a.m. in the ancient Tibetan quarter of Dukezong, which dates back more than 1,000 years and is known for its preserved cobbled streets, ancient structures and Tibetan culture. Dukezong is part of scenic Shangri-La county in Deqen prefecture.

Once called Gyaitang Zong, the county renamed itself Shangri-La in 2001, hoping to draw tourists by the reference to the mythical Himalayan land described in James Hilton’s 1933 novel. Like hundreds of Chinese cities and counties, Shangri-La renovated its old neighborhood, Dukezong, turning it into a tourist attraction filled with shops and guesthouses.

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http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/01/11/thousand-year-old-tibetan-town-burns-to-the-ground-in-intense-ten-hour-blaze/

[democratisphere]

1. Sad that these historic structures have been lost after 1,000 years of preservation.

[2naSalit]

2. Last month

I read a couple books about the history of that region. Sad. It's reported to have started in a guest house, wonder if it was via an oil lamp or some electronic device or poor wiring.

A serious loss for the locals.