"Firefighters have begun work to extinguish the flames and conduct rescues at the scene," the report further noted, adding that the blaze consumed a tall building that housed an office of state-owned telecommunications company China Telecom.
Initially, a photograph released by CCTV showed orange flames searing through the building in a built-up area of the city, as black smoke billowed into the sky, the AFP reported. Changsha city has a population of about 10 million people.
The China Telecom said in a statement on social media, “by around 4:30 pm today, the fire at our No. 2 Communications Tower in Changsha has been extinguished. No casualties have yet been discovered and communications have not been cut off."
The 218-metre (715-foot) building was completed in 2000 and is located near a major ring road, according to CCTV and the AFP report further noted that deadly fires are common in China, where lax enforcement of building codes and rampant unauthorised construction can make it difficult for people to flee burning buildings.
(With inputs from AFP)
