Reconstruction of portions of the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing's Chaoyang District damaged by fire on February 9, 2009 is now underway. CCTV plans to reopen the restored facilities in August 2012.

The Beijing News reporters observing the site on March 16 noted that a scaffold had been erected and a tower crane was working on-site.

According to the website of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, demolition work has been completed on the damaged areas and workers are now preparing for reconstruction.

Since the main structure did not have much fire damage, the building will be restored to its original appearance, the website said. While the concrete structure of the building was not demolished, crews had to remove the burned curtain wall and grid structure before restorations could begin. Demolition work began in August 2010.

In January, Xu Jianyun, general manager and executive director of Beijing Urban Construction Group Co., Ltd, said the restoration was in its second phase, which includes reconstructing the building's interior, and would be completed in late 2012.

Xu said that his company plans to replace the building's inferior fire prevention system, considered one of the main causes of the 2009 fire, with the best fireproofing materials available on the market.

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