Jan 06 (Japan Today) - Two people died and 13 were injured in a fire early Friday at a lodging house in Yokohama, where many daily laborers stay, police said.
A fire broke out at around 6:15 a.m. in a room on the fifth floor of the 10-story Ogiso Bekkan lodging house, which provides low-priced accommodation in a flophouse area. The blaze was contained about an hour after spreading to several rooms, local police and firefighters said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
About 140 people were believed to have been staying at Ogiso Bekkan in Yokohama's Naka Ward when the fire occurred. All those killed or injured were likely to be lodging guests, the police said.
After evacuating or being rescued from upper floors by a ladder truck, about 50 guests, some wrapped in blankets, watched developments from nearby.
