Investigation finds tourist’s candle use sparked Wenchang Pavilion blaze

The Wenchang Pavilion caught on fire on November 12. Photo / @inzhejiang

A tourist’s reckless use of sacred offerings is allegedly to blame for a fire that engulfed a Chinese temple last week.

The probe into the November 12 blaze at Wenchang Pavilion has found a tourist’s “irresponsible” candle lighting had caused the fire, the Sun reports.

Videos shared to social media showed the structure aflame, gutting the interior and sending roofing tumbling to the ground.

No one was injured and the fire was extinguished before it reached the surrounding forest, according to the New York Post.

Local officials have also confirmed the building did not feature ancient architecture.

Sitting on the Fenghuang Mountain in Zhangjigang, the pavilion was built in October 2009, despite early reports suggesting the structure was 1500 years old.

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Several publications mistakenly identified the three-storey building as the neighbouring Yongqing Temple, which was itself reconstructed in the 1990s.

Once the authorities have finished investigating, the damage to the pavilion will be repaired in a traditional style.

New safety measures will also be put in place to reduce the risk of another fire.