A small aerial drone being used to film a bicycle race in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, fell from the sky Sunday and burst into flames, disrupting the competition.

No one was reported injured in the incident.

The drone, which was being flown at the request of the organizers, went down around 7:15 a.m.. Race staff put out the fire with extinguishers.

It was planned that the drone would film the 20.8-km race, which involved around 2,800 riders and began in the downtown area of Maebashi and finished at the peak of Mount Akagi in Gunma Prefecture.

"It was first flying with a buzzing sound, but suddenly started making a strange noise before it fell and caught fire. It was dangerous because there were many people there," said Naoya Sekine, a 16-year-old high school student who was taking part in the race.