A fire broke out on Monday at the nearly completed table tennis venue for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but damage appeared limited and there were no casualties, officials and witnesses said.

Firemen extinguish a fire at the Peking University gymnasium, which is under construction to host the table tennis tournament at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, in Beijing July 2, 2007. [Reuters]

Flames could be seen coming from the roof of the building on the campus of the elite Peking University, and thick black smoke billowed into the air as firefighters battled the blaze in the northwest university district of the Chinese capital.

The western side of the building was blackened by smoke but the rest of the structure appeared intact. A policeman at the scene said there had been no casualties.

Seventeen fire engines were involved in fighting the fire, and Xinhua news agency quoted the Beijing fire department as saying the main fire had been put out at around 10:40 a.m.

They were investigating the cause of the blaze. Preliminary inquiries indicated it had been caused by construction activity.

A construction worker, who did not want to be named, said the fire had been caused by someone using an electric welder.

"I was heading to a classroom building when I saw flames and black smoke coming from the roof of that building at about 9 o' clock," said a student surnamed Li of the university. "But fortunately no student was there because the neighboring classroom buildings have been under reconstruction," she said.

"Everything on campus remains in order now," Li added, "Graduate students are shooting photos of themselves in graduation gowns."

Officials from the university said the fire burned the insulation materials at the surface of the building but the steel girders and the structure remain unaffected, Xinhua reported.

They said the accident wouldn't affect the "Good Luck Beijing" venue-testing table tennis tournament kicking off there this December.

Still, they said further examination of the damages would be needed.

The table tennis venue for the 2008 Beijing Olympics based in Peking University will be completed in August and be able to hold nearly 8,000 spectators.

Construction of the glass domed 26,900-sq metre (289,600-sq ft) gymnasium started in September 2005 and was scheduled for completion next month, in time to host an Olympic test event in December.

One of 11 new venues being built in the city for next year's Games, the gymnasium will have a capacity for 8,000 spectators.

The building of the venues for the first Olympics to be held in China has progressed smoothly with none of the major delays which marked the preparations for the last Summer Games in Athens.

All 31 venues are due to be completed by the end of this year with the exception of the National Stadium, or Bird's Nest, which has been delayed until March 2008.

The Olympics open on August 8, 2008.