KUMAMOTO – A fire broke out Thursday afternoon at a Nippon Paper Industries plant heavily damaged in a massive earthquake that rocked Kumamoto Prefecture in late July. According to the Kumamoto prefectural police department, no one was injured in the blaze. In the 7.1-magnitude temblor on July 28, a chimney at the plant in the city of Yatsushiro in the prefecture collapsed, leaving nine people dead.
Thursday, local fire authorities received an emergency call from a person related to the plant reporting that a fire had broken out during work to dismantle the chimney. The fire started near the chimney, and 10 people were engaged in the work at the time, the police and other sources said. None of them suffered injuries.
The blaze was brought under control shortly before 9:30 p.m., according to the police. Nippon Paper said: “We deeply apologize to people in the neighborhood for causing concern and trouble due to the smoke and noise related to the fire. We will fully cooperate in authorities’ investigation into the cause of the fire.” The July 28 earthquake measured a seismic intensity of upper 6, the second-highest level on the seven-point Japanese scale, in Yatsushiro.
Work to remove the collapsed chimney began in late August.
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