At least two people were killed in a fire early Sunday at two adjacent hostels in Kawasaki and 18 others were rushed to the hospital, police and firefighters said.

More than 10 people remain unaccounted for among some 60 people staying in the two wooden buildings after a fire broke out at one of the hostels, called Yoshidaya, the police said.

A resident living nearby called for fire trucks at around 2:10 a.m.

The two buildings, with a total floor space of about 1,000 square meters, were completely burned down.

Two bodies were found in the debris, police said. Dozens of people escaped to safety.

The fire department dispatched 21 fire trucks and nine ambulances to the site, some 200 meters east of Hatchonawate Station on the JR and Keikyu lines. The department also called for a disaster medical assistance team from Nippon Medical School Musashi Kosugi Hospital.

A 61-year-old man who had been staying at Yoshidaya since last September said he found the hostel was on fire when he opened the door of his room after a fire alarm went off. "I got out from the window of my room and clambered up a wall to evacuate. I'm wondering where to stay from today," he said.