A fire at a Tokyo condo has killed two people. The blaze is believed to have broken out at the home of a Japanese lawmaker.
Police say they received a call on Wednesday night from a person saying there was a smell of burning coming from the six-story building in Bunkyo Ward.
Footage taken from an NHK helicopter shows flames intermittently gushing out of windows in the upper part of the structure.
Other video taken by a nearby resident shows firefighters spraying water from a building next to the condo.
The blaze was mostly extinguished about five-and-a-half hours later, after damaging the sixth floor.
A woman reportedly died at a hospital after being rescued, and a body was discovered at the scene.
Police say they believe the blaze started at a unit occupied by Inoguchi Kuniko, an Upper House lawmaker of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and three other family members.
They say they are in contact with the politician, but have been unable to contact her husband, Inoguchi Takashi, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, and their eldest daughter, in her 30s.
The police say they will examine the scene with the fire department to determine the cause of the fire.
Another fire occurred at a 14-story condominium in Kawasaki City, near Tokyo, on Wednesday night. It started at a unit on the 13th floor. The blaze was almost contained by early Thursday.
The local police and fire department say two people were rescued from the unit, but were later confirmed dead at hospital.
The officials say a couple in their 80s and their son in his 50s lived there. They say the parents are unaccounted for, but the son is safe because he was out at the time of the fire.
A fire at a Tokyo condo has killed two people. The blaze is believed to have broken out at the home of a Japanese lawmaker.
Police say they received a call on Wednesday night from a person saying there was a smell of burning coming from the six-story building in Bunkyo Ward.
Footage taken from an NHK helicopter shows flames intermittently gushing out of windows in the upper part of the structure.
Other video taken by a nearby resident shows firefighters spraying water from a building next to the condo.
The blaze was mostly extinguished about five-and-a-half hours later, after damaging the sixth floor.
A woman reportedly died at a hospital after being rescued, and a body was discovered at the scene.
Police say they believe the blaze started at a unit occupied by Inoguchi Kuniko, an Upper House lawmaker of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and three other family members.
They say they are in contact with the politician, but have been unable to contact her husband, Inoguchi Takashi, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, and their eldest daughter, in her 30s.
The police say they will examine the scene with the fire department to determine the cause of the fire.
Another fire occurred at a 14-story condominium in Kawasaki City, near Tokyo, on Wednesday night. It started at a unit on the 13th floor. The blaze was almost contained by early Thursday.
The local police and fire department say two people were rescued from the unit, but were later confirmed dead at hospital.
The officials say a couple in their 80s and their son in his 50s lived there. They say the parents are unaccounted for, but the son is safe because he was out at the time of the fire.
