Restaurant blaze alarms neighbors

Fire destroyed part of a restaurant in Jinsong, Chaoyang district on Sunday afternoon, said local residents who witnessed the blaze.

A witness named He Jie, who lives behind Beirong restaurant on Jinsong Lu, said he heard an explosion, and saw smoke coming from the restaurant around 3 pm Sunday.

"The smoke swiftly came in and filled the rooms in my house. It was so thick I couldn't see anything," said He.

Since the fire only damaged about 10 square meters of the restaurant, it had been brought under control by volunteer residents and restaurant staff by the time firefighters arrived, said a Jinsong neighborhood committee member, surnamed Ling.

"The fire was worse because it was not tackled properly," he said.

"Instead of using proper equipment like a fire blanket, the restaurant's cook used water to dowse a fire in the kitchen," said Ling.

The restaurant manager, who would not give his name, refused to offer any comment concerning the fire.

"We have nothing to do or say to you media," he said, "the restaurant won't be open till tomorrow."

Although the fire caused no injuries or deaths, He is worried.

"I'm now concerned about my family's safety, and mine," He said.

"If there were only children or older people at home when it happened, the overwhelming smoke might have suffocated them," he said.

In the early morning of Wednesday, the Spice Spirit restaurant in the Gate plaza in Zhongguancun, Haidian district also caught fire, the Beijing Times reported on Thursday.

Police and firefighters are investigating the causes of both blazes.