Three government officials in north China's Hebei Province were punished after a cultural heritage site caught fire on Thursday, the local government said.

The officials, including a deputy chief of the cultural relic bureau of Chengde city, received penalties ranging from work suspension to being removed from their posts, said a spokesman with the Chengde Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The fire was spotted around noon at a palace in the Putuo Zongcheng Temple, also known as "the Little Potala Palace," and was put out around 1:10 p.m., said the spokesman.

The damage done to the building is being evaluated.

Police are investigating the cause of the fire.