Brand new 44-storey luxury hotel goes up in flames ignited by fireworks during Chinese holiday

A new 44-storey luxury hotel in downtown Beijing was engulfed in flames today after being showered with sparks from fireworks set off during China's biggest holiday.

The Mandarin Oriental hotel, still under construction, caught fire as the skies above the Chinese capital were filled with fireworks - part of celebrations of the lantern festival that follows the Lunar New Year.

The shooting flames sent off huge plumes of black smoke and showered the ground with embers.

The Mandarin Oriental was expected to be one of Beijing's most luxurious hotels, with 241 guest rooms.

Both buildings were designed by Netherlands architects Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren for the firm OMA. Both were nearing the end of construction.

The fire destroyed years of hard work, said Erik Amir, a senior architect at OMA, who rushed to the site.

'I think it's really sad that this building is destroyed before it can be opened to the public,' he said.