A pigeonry in a residential community in Changping district caught fire at midnight on May 21, burning 60 pigeons to death. No one was hurt, the Legal Mirror reported.

The pigeonry was built over two years ago and belonged to an old woman in the community, according to witnesses of the fire. Since the pigeonry was locked, none was able to escape.

A resident surnamed Han said there was a lot of inflammable waste, such as dirty quilts, inside the pigeonry. The fire blackened the walls of two nearby housing units and broke many windows.

The cause is under investigation.