Beijing municipal authorities have implemented the level I plan for fire control, the highest level of alert, at Tian'anmen Square in downtown area during the annual "two sessions."

Related: Beijing beefs up vehicle check for annual 'two sessions'

This is the second time for the area to issue the level I alert, following last year's Beijing Olympics.

The top alert plan asked all volunteer fire fighters serving the area to be on duty and step up patrol to close loopholes of fire control, according to the capital's fire control authority.

All the 200-strong institutions and 11 key building complexes in the area should conduct careful checks to rule out any potential fire risks, it said.

The Tian'anmen Square area covers 2.2 square kilometers and is home to the Great Hall of the People on the west, the National Museum of China on the east side and Chairman Mao's mausoleum on the south side.

The annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, and that of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top political advisory body, are held in every March at the Great Hall of the People.

(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2009)