BEIJING , China ( CNN ) -- A massive fire engulfed a newly constructed , unoccupied luxury hotel in central Beijing on Monday night as crowds watched a nearby fireworks display marking the end of Lunar New Year celebrations . The cause of the blaze at the 40-story Mandarin Oriental is unknown . The cause of the blaze at the 40-story Mandarin Oriental is not known and there were no reports of injuries , according to CNN staff members who were at the scene . The fire began about 9 p.m. and continued to burn an hour later . A plume of flames shot from the top of the structure as the fire quickly spread . iReporter Jean de Villeneuve lives about 200 yards ( 200 meters ) from the fire and said she watched it for about an hour before firefighters got it under control . De Villeneuve , who is originally from France , said she was surprised at how close spectators were allowed to get before authorities established a perimeter . `` I looked and saw the huge tower full of fire , and there were hundreds of Chinese down near my apartment taking pictures , '' she said . `` If this had been the United States , you would think a perimeter would be secured , but there was nothing like that . '' Watch flames devour the hotel » . De Villeneuve said she and others were able to get within 60 yards of the fire . The state-run Xinhua news agency reported that more than 1,000 people in the area were evacuated , `` traffic controls were imposed '' on a major highway and authorities temporarily stopped subway service on a line serving the area . `` Snow-like ashes fell as far as [ half a mile ] from the building and smoke eclipsed the full moon , '' Xinhua reported of the blaze in the capital 's central business district . See photos of the blaze » . iReporter Fred Rice , a British national who lives in Beijing , said `` the top of the building was exploding . '' `` We were n't sure if it was gas canisters or what . It was a spectacular sight for sure , '' he said . iReporter Stephen Chaytor said he was walking home from work when he saw the fire . Watch the hotel burn » . `` It was spreading incredibly fast . It was obvious that there was a lot of debris on site -- that debris ignited very quickly , '' Chaytor said . `` Fire took control of building [ and ] within less than 13 minutes , it went from small flames to being totally engulfed in flames . '' He said a crowd of onlookers gathered around the scene , as well as fire and emergency crews who worked to control the blaze . `` There was a quiet concern for people that may be involved , working in the building or close to construction site , '' he said . iReport.com : Are you there ? The fire reached past the 30th floor , but did not spread to any adjacent buildings . The hotel is next to a newly constructed tower for China Central Television ( CCTV ) , but no one has moved into that building either . The blaze erupted in the final hours of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration as people set off fireworks across the city . Xinhua reported that Beijing residents were supposed to stop selling and lighting fireworks by midnight . iReporter de Villeneuve said she suspects many people in the city were trying to use whatever remaining fireworks they had before the deadline . `` We have been seeing fireworks for the past two weeks . I have to say this is quite a surprise , '' she said . iReport.com : Eyewitnesses worried 'building might topple ' iReporter Rice said he was watching fireworks nearby when he noticed that fireworks were being set off near the buildings . `` Then we looked closer and saw the flames come from the top of the building , '' Rice said . `` Soon became apparent that the building was on fire . '' The modern , angular building was a sign of Beijing 's recent transformation and modernization . It had been scheduled to open late last year , but the opening was postponed until this year , though most of the building had been constructed . According to its Web site , the Mandarin Oriental-Beijing is the flagship property in China for the Mandarin Oriental hotel chain . The tower stands more than 500 feet high and contains 241 rooms , Xinhua reported .
iReporter who lives nearby says she saw `` huge tower full of fire '' Plume of flames shoots from top of structure as flames engulf luxury hotel . The cause of the fire at the unoccupied 40-story Mandarin Oriental is not known . A man stands next to a damaged building in downtown Shanghai on July 8, 2013.