On April 23, around 6 a.m., a fire broke out at the Ocean Hotel on Huanshi East Road in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou.
By 6:57 a.m., the local fire brigade had largely extinguished the flames, and no casualties were reported.
In the aftermath of the fire, community staff evacuated residents from nearby homes and established cordons to prevent citizens from approaching the burning building.
Hotel staff guided foreign guests to nearby hotels for accommodation.
A community volunteer guides foreign guests to resettle in nearby hotels.
Many of the guests at the Ocean Hotel were foreign businessmen attending the Canton Fair. Around 11 a.m., in a conference room on the third floor of the Huatai Hotel, approximately 400 meters away from the Ocean Hotel, reporters observed over a hundred foreign businessmen affected by the fire had been relocated there. On-site staff provided attentive assistance and prepared coffee, water, bread, and other supplies for the guests.
Staff at the Huatai Hotel communicated in both Chinese and English to reassure the foreign businessmen, informing them that the hotel would provide lunch and reminding them to register at the desk to ensure all affected guests were accounted for.
Majid, a traveler from Iran, shared with reporters that he was still asleep when the fire broke out. He was awakened and evacuated downstairs, after which hotel staff transferred him to the Huatai Hotel. He is now waiting to return to the Ocean Hotel to retrieve his luggage.
This was Majid's first visit to China; he had first traveled to Shenzhen before arriving in Guangzhou two days prior.
In light of the emergency, Majid remarked that such incidents can happen anywhere, but he praised the quick and professional response of the staff in Guangzhou. "I am very grateful that many Chinese friends have worked tirelessly and risked their safety to carry out rescue operations," he said.
Kong Zhe, an Argentine businessman who frequently attends the Canton Fair and speaks fluent Chinese, served as an interpreter in the conference room of the Huatai Hotel, helping staff communicate with non-English-speaking businessmen from other regions.
Kong Zhe recounted being awakened around 7:30 a.m. and quickly evacuated from the 15th floor of the Ocean Hotel to the Huatai Hotel. He noted that once downstairs, staff offered water and food, and a resting area was also available if needed. He praised the excellent service provided by the staff.
Editor | Liao Ying (intern), Wei Shen, Liu Lingzhi, James, Shen He
