Shocking footage shows a giant Buddha statue going up in flames in China – with several historic temple buildings that surrounded it destroyed in a fire
Shocking footage shows a giant Buddha statue going up in flames in China – with several historic temple buildings that surrounded it destroyed in a fire
- Attraction was built in 1998 and the temple surrounding it dates back to 1500 years ago
Shocking footage shows the moment when a 40-meter-tall wooden Buddha in China burst into flames and burned to the ground.
Video shows a fire raging at the Great Buddha Temple in Shandan, in the northwestern province of Gansu, burning a giant wooden structure in the center of the complex.
The Great Hall of the Dafo (Big Buddha) Monument, a seven-story, 300-foot-wide annex to the temple, stood little chance against the raging inferno.
It housed a giant clay Buddha, the largest in China, which was uncovered and appeared partially damaged in social media images of the fire’s aftermath.
The monument, a seven-story, 300-foot-wide annex to the temple, stood little chance against the raging inferno
Photos of the aftermath show the giant clay Buddha, perched on a huge lotus leaf, rising from the ashes of its cremated protective wooden lid
While the wooden structure was decimated, the temple ruins, some of which are as old as 1,500 years old, were not damaged by the fire, authorities said.
A total of 46 firefighters and nine fire trucks fought the fire on Monday morning and the fire was completely under control by 10 a.m.
The cause of the fire is currently undetermined and is being investigated by authorities.
Photos of the aftermath show the giant clay Buddha, perched on a huge lotus leaf, rising from the ashes of its cremated protective wooden lid.
The Buddha is about 155 feet tall while the flower is 3 feet high.
The statue was built in 1998 as a replica of an original believed to date to around 425 AD.
The temple was first built during the Northern Wei Dynasty, which spanned the years 386-534.
A view of damage caused by a fire in the wooden structure of the Great Hall of the Dafo (Big Buddha) Temple in Zhangye, Gansu Province
The cause of the fire is currently undetermined and is being investigated by authorities
On Monday morning, a total of 46 firefighters and nine fire trucks fought the fire and the fire was completely under control by 10 a.m.
It then underwent a number of renovations during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
The attraction had a 4A rating – the second highest level for tourist attractions in China.
The original version was damaged during China’s Cultural Revolution, a decade-long social unrest in the 1960s and 1970s that targeted organized religion and killed nearly two million people.
A statement released Tuesday confirmed that there were no casualties in the blaze and that the temple’s cultural relics were undamaged.