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A rather strange event indeed. A Luxury Hotel soon to open catches fire supposedly from fireworks in Downtown Beijing:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2...terstitialskip
For those courageous intrepid reporters working for the MM, these obvious questions:
1. Who holds the insurance on this puppy?
2. What were its prospects for success in the present World Downturn?
3. Really, a tower in Downtown Beijing catches fire from fireworks? Hmmmmmm....
These are certainly appropriate questions to ask if AIG is in fact the insurer. And just another example of the Moral Hazard to which the US Taxpayer may now be exposed internationally.
The Mandarin Oriental hotel caught fire sometime before 9 p.m. local time as the skies above the Chinese capital were filled with exploding fireworks — part of celebrations of the lantern festival that follows the Lunar New Year.
The entire hotel building was engulfed in flames, sending off huge plumes of black smoke and showering the ground below with embers. At least seven fire crews were on the scene and police held back crowds of onlookers and closed a nearby elevated highway to ensure safety.
Li Jian said he saw smoke arising from the 44-story hotel's roof shortly after a huge burst of fireworks showered it with sparks, though it was not clear if they started the fire.
"Smoke came out for a little while but then it just started burning," Li said.
Calls to the Beijing fire service were answered by people who confirmed the fire but said they were unable to release any details.
The hotel, due to open this year, lies on the northern edge of a complex that also includes CCTV's imposing Z-shaped headquarters, a major prestige project for the city. The Mandarin Oriental was due to be one of Beijing's most luxurious hotels, with 241 guest rooms.
Both buildings were designed by Rotterdam, Netherlands, architects Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren for the firm OMA. Both were nearing the end of construction. Along with Mandarin Oriental, the hotel building was to have housed a visitors center, a theater and exhibition spaces.
The entire hotel building was engulfed in flames, sending off huge plumes of black smoke and showering the ground below with embers. At least seven fire crews were on the scene and police held back crowds of onlookers and closed a nearby elevated highway to ensure safety.
Li Jian said he saw smoke arising from the 44-story hotel's roof shortly after a huge burst of fireworks showered it with sparks, though it was not clear if they started the fire.
"Smoke came out for a little while but then it just started burning," Li said.
Calls to the Beijing fire service were answered by people who confirmed the fire but said they were unable to release any details.
The hotel, due to open this year, lies on the northern edge of a complex that also includes CCTV's imposing Z-shaped headquarters, a major prestige project for the city. The Mandarin Oriental was due to be one of Beijing's most luxurious hotels, with 241 guest rooms.
Both buildings were designed by Rotterdam, Netherlands, architects Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren for the firm OMA. Both were nearing the end of construction. Along with Mandarin Oriental, the hotel building was to have housed a visitors center, a theater and exhibition spaces.
For those courageous intrepid reporters working for the MM, these obvious questions:
1. Who holds the insurance on this puppy?
2. What were its prospects for success in the present World Downturn?
3. Really, a tower in Downtown Beijing catches fire from fireworks? Hmmmmmm....
These are certainly appropriate questions to ask if AIG is in fact the insurer. And just another example of the Moral Hazard to which the US Taxpayer may now be exposed internationally.
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