Great Balls of Fire

Update:We've found a more revealing photo of the damage caused by the recent fire at the Olympic ping-pong venue located inside Peking University.

The Peking University Gymnasium, planned 2008 Olympics ping-pong venue, caught fire early this morning. The alarm was raised just past 8am and hordes of firefighters rushed to control the blaze at the gymnasium, located within the grounds of the university. There hasn’t been any official comment as to what caused the blaze and no casualties have been reported. Reuters cites unnamed construction workers blaming electric welding for the fire.

With seventeen fire engines involved, it seems likely that the venue, which was on track to be finished next month, has suffered extensive damage and it is unknown whether it will be repaired in time to host the ITTF Pro-TOUR Grand Finals that had originally been scheduled for December 2007 as an Olympic test event.

Links and Sources:
Reuters: Olympics-Beijing table tennis venue catches fire
QQ.com: Peking University Gymnasium Catches Fire (Chinese - source of image)
Shanghai Daily.com: Beijing Olympic ping pong venue on fire
Official Olympic Site: Peking University Gymnasium