World News
Fire breaks out during demolition of damaged chimney at Japanese paper mill
No injuries were reported after a blaze ignited during work on an earthquake-damaged chimney in Kumamoto prefecture.
The short version
- A fire erupted on Thursday as workers attempted to remove the damaged top section of a chimney at a Nippon Paper Industries plant in Yatsushiro City.
- No injuries were reported, but 14 fire engines responded as emergency crews worked to extinguish the blaze over several hours.
- The chimney was among several damaged during a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on July 28, which caused widespread destruction across the region.
- The exact cause of the fire remains undetermined.
Key facts
- A fire ignited Thursday evening during demolition work at a Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto prefecture.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- The blaze started as workers attempted to remove the broken tip of an earthquake-damaged chimney.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- Authorities deployed 14 fire engines, and firefighters continued working to control the blaze more than three hours later.[Associated Press · ABC News]
- Three of five chimneys at the plant sustained severe damage in a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on July 28, which killed 38 people, including nine plant employees who died when an 80-meter chimney collapsed.[Associated Press · ABC News]
What remains uncertain
- The specific cause of the fire has not yet been determined by fire officials.[Associated Press · ABC News]
Sources
- Fire erupts during demolition of quake-damaged chimney at paper factory in JapanAssociated Press
- Fire erupts during demolition of quake-damaged chimney at paper factory in JapanABC News - International