A sacred temple in Jiangsu, China was engulfed in flames after a visitor made a tragic mistake during their visit.
The incident occurred on Wednesday at Wenchang Pavilion on Fenghuang Mountain in Zhangjiagang, where the three-story structure was consumed by fire from top to bottom at around 11am local time.
Fortunately, officials confirmed that no one was injured, and firefighters managed to prevent the blaze from spreading to the dense surrounding forest.
However, the aftermath reveals the scale of the devastation, with videos shared on social media showing portions of the roof collapsing.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway. Early findings suggest that the blaze was likely triggered by a visitor’s improper use of candles and incense at the historic site.
Authorities also emphasized that the pavilion, built in October 2009, housed no cultural relics, ensuring that no historically significant items were lost.
The current pavilion was commissioned in 2008 and completed the following year. Built with a reinforced concrete frame, it is one of several modern constructions on the site.
After its completion, the structure was managed by the nearby Yongqing Temple, while the original Yongning Temple at the location dates back more than 1,500 years.
The first temple was erected in 536 during the Southern Liang dynasty on Fenghuang Mountain.
It holds historical significance as one of the “four hundred eighty splendid temples” of the Southern Dynasties, referenced in a poem by the renowned Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu.
Wenchang Pavilion, in particular, was once part of the temple complex that sheltered the hermitage of Shi Nai’an at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and is regarded as the place where he wrote Water Margin, one of the four great classics of Chinese literature.
The current temple complex, however, was reconstructed in the 1990s.
As the investigation proceeds, local authorities have promised to take further action based on its findings, as well as to strengthen existing safety measures to prevent another catastrophic fire.
This latest blaze comes just two years after flames swept through another centuries-old temple in China, nearly reducing it to ashes.
In 2023, Shandan Great Buddha Temple in Shandan County, Gansu province, was devastated by a fire that engulfed its giant Buddha statue.
Although firefighters managed to extinguish the flames and the statue appeared to remain partly intact, the surrounding buildings were destroyed.