Fire engulfs World Heritage castle in Japan

A major fire devastated a historic Japanese castle on the southern island of Okinawa yesterday morning, destroying large parts of the World Heritage site’s complex, local authorities said. The Shuri castle is a key part of a complex dating back to the Ryukyu Kingdom, and is believed to have been in use from around the 1400s. Most of the current structures are reconstructions based on original plans and photos of the old castle.

The fire was brought under control by early afternoon, a local fire department spokesman told AFP, adding that the blaze had consumed more than 4,800 square metres (51,667 square feet) of the castle complex.

“All the (three) main buildings have burnt down, with nothing left behind,” Daisuke Furugen, another official with the Naha fire department, told AFP.

On the scene, a local fire spokesman said the blaze had proved extremely difficult to control. “The radiant heat was very strong. Firefighters had serious difficulty approaching it,” he said in comments shown on national broadcaster NHK.

Fire engulfs World Heritage castle in Japan

A major fire devastated a historic Japanese castle on the southern island of Okinawa yesterday morning, destroying large parts of the World Heritage sites complex, local authorities said. The Shuri castle is a key part of a complex dating back to the Ryukyu Kingdom, and is believed to have been in use from around the 1400s. Most of the current structures are reconstructions based on original plans and photos of the old castle. The fire was brought under control by early afternoon, a local fire department spokesman told AFP, adding that the blaze had consumed more than 4,800 square metres (51,667 square feet) of the castle complex. All the (three) main buildings have burnt down, with nothing left behind, Daisuke Furugen, another official with the Naha fire department, told AFP. On the scene, a local fire spokesman said the blaze had proved extremely difficult to control. The radiant heat was very strong. Firefighters had serious difficulty approaching it, he said in comments shown on national broadcaster NHK.