Hi I'm Melissa. Today we visited the Great Wall of China and "hong luo si".

We went to a restaurant nearby for lunch after the climb. It was touted as the best in the area and was known for its wonderful decor which we had no questions about. As we were about to finish our meal, the smell of burning wood wafted into our noses and I heard murmuring around me, finally catching the word, fire.

I spun around to see flames shoot up a nearby fake tree. Waiters rushed to the tree, carrying mops and pails of water in an attempt to douse the flames. I had my bag and winter jacket in hand, ready to make a run for it had the fire spread. Danger screamed at me from the back of my head but as the fire came under control, I turned around to find other students furiously snapping photos.

It was a shock to me that they had probably not known the danger the fire would have caused had it not been placed under control. I believe that not everyone would be able to make their escape had the fire spread as there were many plants and wooden fences around and most of their furniture being wooden as well.