Fire damages Xinjiang railway station

A fire in the unfinished Hami Railway Station in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Thursday evening engulfs 600 square meters of the site before being put out by firefighters. [Photo/CFP]

URUMQI - A fire in an unfinished railway station in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Thursday evening engulfed 600 square meters of the site before being put out by firefighters.

They spent about one and a half hours extinguishing the blaze after it was noticed at about 5 pm. No casualties were reported, according to local authorities.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The station in Hami, costing 160 million yuan (about $26 million) and covering 9,997 square meters, was due to be completed before the end of August. It was expected to be put into operation at the end of this year as the first station for high-speed trains in Xinjiang.