Fire in Tibetan temple not arson, Chinese authorities

Beijing. February 23. Silkroadnews - Chinese authorities said they ruled out arson as the cause of the fire, which damaged the 1300-year-old monastery that is one of the most sacred places of Tibetan Buddhism, Fox News reports.
According to official data, the area of the fire at the ancient temple of Jokhang in the center of the capital of Tibet, Lhasa, made about 50 square meters.
Investigation of the causes of the fire that broke out in the ventilation chamber on Saturday is still ongoing, yet the arson as a cause has been ruled out.
Reportedly, all 6,510 registered cultural relics remained intact, including the famous statue of 12-year-old Buddha in full size.
Despite the fact that the main structures did not receive any serious damage, the workers had temporarily removed the statue’s gold cupola to protect it from accidental collapse.
The temple was reopened for visitors on Sunday.