China Central Television says it’s sorry for causing chaos in Beijing’s business district during a massive fire that engulfed part of its new tower building.

The broadcaster apologized Tuesday for the confusion and congestion caused by Monday night’s fire, which struck its new, still-unoccupied, 30-story building, being built to house CCTV’s television studios and the luxury Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the state-owned Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

One firefighter died and seven others were hurt battling the blaze, which authorities say was caused by an unauthorized Chinese lunar New Year fireworks display set off at the site, the news agency said.
In a statement on its Web site, the broadcaster said it “feels sorrowful for the great loss that the fire inflicted on national assets. CCTV sincerely apologizes for the traffic congestion and inconvenience that affect residents nearby.”

Luo Yuan, spokesman and deputy chief of Beijing Fire Control Bureau, told Xinhua that CCTV hired people from a fireworks company to ignite several hundred large festive firecrackers in an open space outside one of its nearly completed buildings, sparking the blaze.

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