Preparatory work resumes for Garden Expo

Preparatory work for the Ninth China (Beijing) International Garden Expo is proceeding as scheduled and the event will receive its first visitors on time, despite the fire that partly destroyed one of its main attractions, authorities said on Tuesday.

The blaze on Monday, which destroyed part of Yongding Tower in Beijing's Fengtai district, will not cause any delay to the event, which is still scheduled to open its doors on May 18, the expo's organizing committee said on Tuesday.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

The committee said it will further boost construction safety standards and draw lessons from the incident.

The local government has also established a special investigation team to look into the issue and make repair plans for the tower.

The fire, which hit Yongding Tower at about 3 pm, was made worse by the strong winds felt on the capital on Monday, but was finally put out at around 7:15 pm, said the committee.

A total of 210 firefighters and 54 fire engines rushed to the site immediately, it said.

The event, which is organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Beijing's municipal government, is designed to contribute to the improvement of the city's scenery. It is expected to run from May to November with 46 exhibitions from 60 cities.

Infrastructure projects such as subway stations and roads are being built in the area.