On December 10, the highest Buddhist pagoda* situated in Sichuan ,China burned down in dust and despair.

According to people on social medias, the blaze started from the main hall of the Nine Dragons Monastery. Because of high winds, the fire was then quickly blew towards the structure. The fire was put out four hours later. Through out all of the theories, people still aren’t quite sure about the cause of the fire. No victims were mentioned.

Many Buddhists across China are sending their prayers in result of this tragedy to not happen again.

The original sixteen-story tower was built between years 1368 to 1644 during the Ming Dynasty. the Pagoda was heavily damaged as a consequence of 8 earthquakes that shook the city in 2008.  Among all the Buddhist buildings in Asia, this one was the highest. The Pagoda had been undergoing renovations since 2010 due to the quakes.

The majority of people on social medias are sharing their hypothesises on how the fire might have started. Along with that, pictures and videos are also circulating around which can be found on YouTube and Twitter.

The cause of the fire hasn’t completely been identified nor found, but local police officers are still investigating the situation.

*A pagoda is a traditional Buddhist temple or structure where the religious group of people mainly go to do their prayers or practice the religion.