Asia’s tallest wooden pagoda burned down in Sichuan Province
A fire in Mianzhu, Sichuan Province, has destroyed Asia’s tallest wooden pagoda, the 16-story Lingguan Tower, a Buddhist structure that was part of the Nine Dragons Monastery.
The pagoda was originally built during the time of the Chongzhen Emperor (1627–1644), the last emperor of the Ming dynasty. It was destroyed during the Wenchuan Earthquake of 2008 and later rebuilt.
The fire on Sunday reportedly started from a hall underneath the pagoda and quickly spread to nearby structures. It took firefighters more than four hours to extinguish the flames. Two other buildings were destroyed.
No casualties were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
