Huge blaze almost totally destroys 300-year-old Chinese Qing dynasty building

A 300-year-old Qing dynasty building in China’s Fujian province was almost totally destroyed by fire on Saturday evening, mainland media report.

The blaze started in the wooden property – the former residence of a Qing admiral during Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1711-1799) – in the city of Quanzhou at about 6pm, Xiamen Daily reported.

No one was injured in the blaze, officials said.

Fire engines were unable to get close to the building as it was situated at the end of a narrow alleyway, the report said. Fire fighters took more than three hours to put out the fire.

Several dozen migrant workers were believed to be living in the building at the time.