Fire razes ancient Tibetan town in China

1,000-year-old Tibetan quarter of Dukezong in Shangri-La county was a popular tourist attraction.

A fire broke out at the Dukezong Ancient Town in Shangri-La county early on Saturday, razing much of the popular tourist attraction in China's Yunnan province. Reuters

BEIJING // An inferno that raged for 10 hours on Saturday razed an ancient Tibetan town in China’s south-west Yunnan province that’s popular with tourists.

The blaze broke out at 1.27am in the ancient Tibetan quarter of Dukezong, which dates back more than 1,000 years and is known for its preserved cobbled streets, ancient structures and Tibetan culture. It is part of the scenic Shangri-La county in Deqen prefecture and had been renovated to lure tourists.

The county was once called Gyaitang Zong, but changed its name in 2001 to Shangri-La, hoping to draw tourists by the reference to the mythical Himalayan land described in James Hilton’s 1933 novel. The county has since benefited from tourism revenue.

Photos and video footage showed Dukezong and its labyrinth of houses engulfed in flames that turned the night sky red.

There was no report of casualties, and the cause of the fire was unclear. A provincial news site said it started in a guesthouse.

He Yu, a resident, said she woke to loud, explosion-like sounds to find the neighbourhood on fire.

“The fire was huge. The wind was blowing hard, and the air was dry. I was scared because my home is a little distance away from the ancient town,” she said. “It kept burning, and the firefighters were there, but there was little they could do because they could not get the fire engines onto the old town’s narrow streets.”

More than 2,000 emergency personnel and volunteers responded to the blaze and brought it under control around 11am, the Shangri-La county government said.

More than 100 houses in the old Dukezong quarter were destroyed.

* Associated Press