Fire engulfs 42-story building in China; no deaths reported

In this image taken from video, massive fire and plumes of smoke rise from a skyscraper Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, Changsha, Hunan province, China. The 42-storied building of more than 200-meter tall (656-foot) housed an office of state-owned telecommunications company China Telecom. No casualties were reported, officials said. (AP Photo) (Uncredited)

BEIJING – A massive fire sent flames and black smoke pouring Friday from a 42-story skyscraper in central China belonging to the country's largest telecoms operator, but no casualties were reported, officials said.

Dozens of floors burned in the China Telecom building in the city of Changsha, the capital of central Hunan province. The city’s fire department said it sent 280 firefighters who were able to quickly extinguish the blaze on the 218-meter (720-foot) building.

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No injuries or deaths have been reported, China Telecom said in a statement. It said there was no disruption to cellphone service, but social media users complained of being unable to use their phones.

Videos of the blaze showed one side of the building scorched black, with debris falling to the ground. Other videos from local media showed workers inside managing to evacuate the building.

There was no immediate information on the cause of the blaze.