Mandarin Oriental Fire in Beijing, China

The Mandarin-Oriental Hotel in Beijing, China, suffered a devastating fire Monday night.

The newly-constructed hotel was unoccupied at the time, its opening date having been pushed back from the original target of late 2008. Although the blaze was contained by fire fighters before it spread to nearby buildings, damage to the luxury hotel was extensive.

The cause of the blaze at the 40-story Mandarin Oriental is not known, and there were no reports of injuries... The fire began at about 9 p.m. (8 a.m. ET) and continued to burn an hour later.

The fire occurred during the closing hours of Chinese New Year celebrations when fireworks were being set off all over the city. Although the offical source of the fire remains undetermined, some speculators have cited the fireworks as a possible cause.