Two found dead after house fire in Hiroshima; couple in their 70s cannot be reached
In short
A house fire in the early hours of October 9 in the Ochiai area of Asakita Ward, Hiroshima, destroyed a wooden two-storey house, and two bodies were found in the ruins. The couple in their 70s who lived in the house could not be contacted, and police are working to identify the dead, Nippon TV News reported.
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Two people died in a fire that destroyed a house in the Ochiai area of Asakita Ward, Hiroshima, in the early hours of October 9, according to police and fire officials cited by TBS NEWS DIG and Nippon TV News. The wooden two-storey house burned down completely, and two bodies were found in the ruins. A couple in their 70s lived in the house and could not be contacted, the outlets reported. Nippon TV News said police are working to confirm the identities of the dead. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Nearby residents made several emergency calls reporting fire coming from a first-floor window. TBS NEWS DIG put the first calls at around 4:20 a.m., while Nippon TV News reported around 4:00 a.m. TBS NEWS DIG said 14 fire engines were sent; Nippon TV News said 13 fire engines and other vehicles responded. Reports differ on how long the fire burned: TBS NEWS DIG reported in one story that the fire was mostly put out about an hour later, and Nippon TV News also said about an hour, but a later TBS NEWS DIG report said it was put out about three hours later. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
TBS NEWS DIG reported earlier that the two people had been found unconscious and that their deaths were confirmed at the scene. A TBS reporter at the scene described the pillars of the house as charred black and a smell of burning in the area. Nippon TV News reported that a neighbouring house was also half burned. None of the reports gives a cause of the fire. [ 1 , 3 , 5 ]
Why it matters
Two people died in the fire, and police have not yet confirmed who they are. Nippon TV News reported that a neighbouring house was also half burned.
Key facts
- The fire broke out at a house in Ochiai, Asakita Ward, Hiroshima, in the early hours of October 9. [ 1 , 5 ]
- Residents made several emergency calls reporting fire from a first-floor window. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The wooden two-storey house burned down completely. [ 3 , 5 ]
- Two people died in the fire. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- A couple in their 70s lived in the house and could not be contacted. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- A neighbouring house was half burned, Nippon TV News reported. [ 5 ]
- Police are working to confirm the identities of the dead. [ 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Two people died in a house fire in Asakita Ward, Hiroshima. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The house burned down completely. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Several callers reported flames coming from the first floor of the house. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The couple in their 70s living in the house could not be contacted. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- The house was a wooden two-storey building. [ 3 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- Who the two dead are. Police are still confirming the identities; the couple living in the house could not be contacted.
- When the first calls came in. TBS NEWS DIG reported calls around 4:20 a.m., while Nippon TV News reported around 4:00 a.m.
- How long it took to put out the fire. An early TBS NEWS DIG report and Nippon TV News said about one hour, while a later TBS NEWS DIG report said about three hours.
- How many fire engines were sent. TBS NEWS DIG reported 14 fire engines; Nippon TV News reported 13.
- The cause of the fire. None of the reports gives a cause.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Residents make several emergency calls reporting fire from a first-floor window, according to TBS NEWS DIG; Nippon TV News put the calls at about 04:00. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG reports the house fully burned and two people found unconscious, with deaths confirmed at the scene. [ 1 ]
- Sankei Shimbun reports two dead and that an elderly couple cannot be reached. [ 2 ]
- Nippon TV News reports a neighbouring house half burned and police working to identify the dead. [ 5 ]