CNN这回出奇地慢啊，现在才有报道
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A massive fire engulfed a newly constructed, unoccupied luxury hotel in central Beijing on Monday night as crowds watched a nearby fireworks display to celebrate the end of Lunar New Year.
Fred Rice was watching fireworks when he saw flames rise from the Mandarin Oriental.
The cause of the blaze at the 40-story Mandarin Oriental is not known and there were no reports of injuries, according to CNN staff members who were at the scene. The fire began about 9 p.m. and continued to burn an hour later.
A plume of flames shot out of the top of the structure as the fire quickly spread.
iReporter Fred Rice, a British national who lives in Beijing, said "the top of the building was exploding." 
Watch flames devour the hotel »
"We weren't sure if it was gas canisters or what. It was a spectacular sight for sure," he said.
iReporter Stephen Chaytor said he was walking home from work when he saw the fire.
"It was spreading incredibly fast. It was obvious that there was a lot of debris on site -- that debris ignited very quickly," Chaytor said. "Fire took control of building [and] within less than 13 minutes, it went from small flames to being totally engulfed in flames."
He said a crowd of onlookers gathered around the scene, as well as fire and emergency crews who worked to control the blaze.
"There was a quiet concern for people that may be involved working, in the building or close to construction site," he said. iReport.com: Are you there?
The fire reached past the 30th floor, but did not spread to any adjacent buildings. The hotel is next to a newly constructed tower for China Central Television (CCTV), but no one has moved into that building either.
The blaze erupted in the final hours of the Chinese Lunar New Year as people set off fireworks across the city.
Rice said he was watching fireworks nearby when he noticed that fireworks were being set off near the buildings. Watch the hotel burn »
"Then we looked closer and saw the flames come from the top of the building," Rice said. "Soon became apparent that the building was on fire."
The modern, angular building was a sign of Beijing's recent transformation and modernization. It had been scheduled to open late last year, but the opening was postponed until this year, though most of the building had been constructed.
According to its Web site, the Mandarin Oriental-Beijing is the flagship property in China for the Mandarin Oriental hotel chain.
