Fire damages Beijing Olympics TT hall

BEIJING: Fire fighters on Monday took more than an hour to put out a blaze that damaged a gymnasium under construction in Beijing University, venue of table tennis competition during next year's Beijing Olympic Games.

Fire brigade officials said there was no casualty in the fire that spread over a thousand square metre.

"The fire was doused in over an hour. The firemen then entered the site and reported that there were no casualties," a  spokesman of the fire fighting department said.

The fire could have been caused by faulty or inadequate safety measures, he said and added that the department was investigating.

The domed 26,900-square-metre gymnasium is one of the 11 new venues being built for next year's Olympics. Once completed, it will seat 8,000 spectators.