A fire likely started by a tourist’s “irresponsible candle use” and clumsy incense handling broke out in the Chinese temple Wenchang Pavilion on Wednesday, November 12.

In a video, flames and thick black smoke can be seen engulfing the sacred three-story building.

The temple, which was commissioned in 2008 and built in October 2009, sat on Fenghuang Mountain in Zhangjigang, Jiangsu province.

Luckily, no casualties were reported to result from the blaze. The temple also did not contain any ancient architectural remains.

The fire was quickly contained and did not spread to nearby forest areas.

The Wengchang Pavilion had been managed by the neighboring Yongqing Temple. That original building dates back many centuries, though the temple’s current buildings were reconstructed in the 1990s.

See Full Page