600-year-old tower destroyed in SW China fire

The Gongchen Tower,an ancient city gate tower with a history of more than 600 years, was destroyed in a fire in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Saturday morning, local authorities said.

The fire broke out in Nanzhao Township, Weishan County, at 2:49 a.m. and was put out two hours later.

No casualties were reported in the fire but the tower, built in 1390 during China's Ming Dynasty, was burnt down with few scorched wooden structures left.

The tower, 26 meters long, 15.7 meters wide and 16 meter high, is listed as a key cultural protection site in Yunnan Province.

"I want to cry," said a local resident.

"Hundreds of history is gone," he lamented.