A fire is rising in Torimachi Shokudogai, a restaurant-filled area. /youtube
A large fire broke out in an area crowded with restaurants in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.
According to Japanese public broadcaster NHK on the 3rd, a large fire broke out at ‘Torimachi Shokudogai’, a food alley about 300 meters away from JR Kokura Station in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, around 3 p.m. No casualties have been reported yet.
On this day, the fire department responded at around 3:11 after receiving a report that the building was on fire. About 20 fire trucks were mobilized, but it took about 4 hours and 30 minutes to extinguish the fire as the embers spread to adjacent buildings.
Looking at the video of the situation at the time, the fire that was only burning in a few buildings quickly spread to the entire food alley. Firefighters continued to try to extinguish the fire, but the fire was not easily extinguished. The fire, which had been burning with terrifying force, began to go out only after dark. Even after the fire was extinguished, black smoke filled the area.
The fire is believed to have occurred at a restaurant in the food alley. According to the police, an employee of the restaurant, which is believed to be the origin of the fire, stated, “The pot caught fire.”
To prevent possible casualties, evacuation orders were issued to nearby hotels and pachinko parlors. A couple in their 60s who were traveling said, “The police ordered us to go outside,” and “Smoke entered the hotel hallway, which made my eyes and throat hurt.” A customer at the pachinko parlor said, “Around 4 p.m., an announcement was made saying, ‘Evacuate because there is a fire.’” It is known that this store, which is open until 11 p.m., had to close at around 6 p.m. in the aftermath of the fire.
A fire is rising in an area crowded with restaurants in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. /youtube
Some restaurant owners complained of damage caused by this fire. Ichiro Kono, chairman of the merchants’ association, said, “At first, I thought only two restaurants were on fire and it would be extinguished quickly, but the fire spread to the entire restaurant district. Fortunately, no injuries were confirmed, but it is difficult not to be able to operate during the year-end and New Year holidays when sales are high.” He said. He also said, “I am upset that a similar fire has occurred again after the Danka Market fire.” Two years ago, a series of fires broke out at ‘Tanka Market’, about 400 meters away from Torimachi Shokudogai, at four-month intervals, causing damage to many stores.
Meanwhile, in Japan, large-scale incidents and accidents have continued since the new year. On New Year’s Day, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake occurred on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, killing at least 73 people, and the following day, on the 2nd, a Japan Airlines (JAL) airliner landing at Tokyo Haneda Airport with 379 people on board was struck by a Japan Coast Guard aircraft on the runway. A collision occurred. All passengers on the JAL plane escaped in the airport crash, but five out of six people on the Coast Guard aircraft died.
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2024-01-03 13:40:01
