OITA, Nov 20 (News On Japan) - A major fire that erupted in the Saganoseki district of Oita City on November 18th and resulted in one fatality continued to burn into its third day on November 20th, with firefighters maintaining round-the-clock operations in an effort to bring the blaze under control.
Police are working to identify the body discovered on November 19th in the remains of the house believed to be the point of origin. The remains were found in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest and later confirmed dead. Investigators believe the victim is likely the 76-year-old male resident with whom contact has been lost since the fire broke out, and efforts to confirm the identity are under way.
As of 10 a.m. on November 20th, a total of 70 households — amounting to 108 residents — remained evacuated at a shelter set up nearby. The fire has already destroyed more than 170 structures and scorched at least 4.9 hectares, and flames were visible even on Tsutajima, an uninhabited island 1.4 kilometers away, more than 24 hours after the initial outbreak.
Oita Governor Sato, speaking at a meeting of the prefectural disaster response headquarters, instructed authorities to continue full-scale firefighting efforts with the aim of achieving a controlled state within the day. The governor also called for strengthened support for affected residents, including efforts to prevent disaster-related deaths.
The fire occurred in a tightly packed district of wooden homes and vacant houses, and according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the number of buildings destroyed may become the highest recorded in an urban fire in Japan over the past decade.
A separate fire broke out on the morning of November 20th in a densely built residential area of Osaka’s Nishiyodogawa Ward, where five houses burned, though no injuries have been reported so far.
The Osaka City Fire Department received an emergency call at around 8:30 a.m. from a nearby resident in Nakajima, who reported seeing black smoke rising from the second floor of a home. More than 30 fire engines and other vehicles were dispatched, and the blaze was brought under near control roughly an hour later, but five houses — covering about 150 square meters in total — were burned.
Police and fire officials say they have not received any reports of injuries or people unable to escape.
A neighbor described hearing a loud blast: a canister-like object seemed to ignite with a booming sound, causing flames to erupt, adding that the fire was frightening and difficult to extinguish.
The neighborhood is located approximately one kilometer west of Hanshin Electric Railway’s Dekijima Station, in an area where houses stand tightly packed together.
Source: テレ東BIZ
