BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- A fire that broke out in an under-construction IKEA site in Beijing's Daxing District on Nov. 30 was caused by sparks from welding torches which ignited flammable building materials, the municipal fire department announced on Thursday.
Construction work on the site has been halted, while contractors and builders have received administrative punishment with a fine of 30,000 yuan (4,815 US dollars).
The project's manager, surnamed Cai, will be kept in detention for 13 days.
Two welders who were directly responsible for the accident will be given 10 days in detention.
Construction will not be allowed to restart until it passes the examination of the fire department.
The department said they received an alarm in Beijing's Daxing District at 7:34 p.m. on Nov. 30, and had controlled the fire by 8:07 p.m.. No casualties was reported.
With an investment of at least 3 billion yuan (800 million U.S. dollars), the "Inter IKEA Center" is intended to become the largest IKEA store in the world. It was scheduled to open in 2014.
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