A fire that broke out yesterday in the north wing of Beijing Capital International Airport's No.3 terminal, which is under construction, was put out after an hour by two fire brigades. No casualties and no major disruptions to operations were reported.

According to a Beijing News report, the fire started at about 1:30 PM yesterday.

"We were working on the roof then, but immediately got down once we saw the smoke," a worker said. He said that the fire broke out underground and there was no fire fighting equipment at hand. It was a while before fire extinguishers were brought over by security personnel from the airport administration office 800 meters away.
 
Unable to put out the fire, a call was made to airport fire rescue. A city fire rescue team was also dispatched, along with three fire engines.

Firemen said that the fire damaged an area of about 100 square meters, both under and above ground. The fire was eventually put out at about 2:50 PM.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

An official from Beijing Construction & Engineering Group, the project contractor, said it was possible that welding sparks could have set a straw mattress alight. But he declined to elaborate.

Airport officials said the fire didn't affect any flights on Thursday. They also said that it wouldn't affect the construction progress of the No.3 terminal, which is to be ready in time for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

(China.org.cn by Zhang Rui, February 10, 2006)