On the afternoon of September 16, Friday, a massive fire broke out in a skyscraper in the central Chinese city of Changsha, capital of China’s southern province of Hunan.

According to reports, the fire broke out in a 42 floor building, housing an office of state-owned telecommunications company China Telecom at around 3:48 pm local time, confirmed the Hunan fire department.

As many as 36 fire engines and 280 firefighters were dispatched by Changsha Fire and Rescue to stop the fire of the 218 metres tall building.

Due to the quick response of the fire department, the fire was able to be put off by around 4:30 (local time) and no casualties were reported as the building was evacuated as soon as the fire broke out.

“No casualties have yet been discovered and communications have not been cut off,” a company spokesperson said.

It was also found after a preliminary investigation that only the outer wall of the building was on fire, confirms the Hunan fire department.

According to state media, the building was completed back in 2000 and is located near a major ring road in the city of Changsha, the 10-million person capital of Hunan province, in south-central China.

According to an article by the Guardian, fires as such are quite common in China.

Last year in July, a warehouse fire in north-eastern Jilin province led to the death of at least 15 people and injured around 25.

Many such deadly fires took place in the past as well which killed dozens.

The reason behind the start of the fire is yet to be confirmed.