This is the towering inferno that wasn't - scrubbed from the news by Communist censors declaring a blackout so the story did not spread widely in the 'outside world' after a resident died in the high-rise building fire.

Video footage captured flames leaping from the structure, accompanied by thick smoke billowing from the windows of the Jushang Community in Ankang City, in China's Shaanxi Province, on Monday, August 5.

It was also claimed that at least one person died after either falling from a window or leaping to avoid the frames.

Eyewitness accounts indicated a sound akin to an explosion followed by chaos shortly before the blaze started, with residents fleeing outside.

Emergency services, including police and ambulances, responded swiftly to the scene.

The fire reportedly began in unit 52#1503 around 8:10pm and was extinguished by 9:30pm.

Local news reported that Shaanxi authorities ordered the news to be kept from the public to control public opinion and prevent the spread of unfounded claims.

They said that they contacted the Emergency Management Bureau of Ankang High-tech Industrial Development Zone Management Committee, where the building is located, and a staff member responded that 'the specific situation is under investigation and it is not convenient to disclose information about it at this stage'.

When the reporter asked about the person who fell to their death and the fact that an explosion had been reported, they said: 'There is no news to disclose now. In order to control public opinion, no news will be disclosed to the outside world.'

After video footage was spread, officials later confirmed that one person died as a result of the blaze, but no further details of how they died were given.

Earlier, a similar blaze was reported in a high-rise hotel in Changsha, in China's Hunan Province, on July 28.

The hotel's rooftop billboard reportedly caught fire, sending sparks and flaming debris to the ground, raising concerns among nearby pedestrians as well as fears that flames could spread from the bottom up.

Fire trucks quickly arrived at the scene to address the incident, and no casualties were reported as the blaze was controlled.

Investigations revealed that a short circuit in the hotel sign caused the fire.