Six bodies were found early Thursday after a fire broke out at a residence in Sendai, police said.
The blaze was reported to firefighters at around 2:20 a.m. after a late-night worker nearby heard a woman's cry for help. The fire was extinguished about four hours later. Two bodies were found on the first floor of the two-story wooden residence and two each in the room and veranda on the second floor, according to firefighters.
Police are trying to identify the bodies and determine the cause of the fire.
They believe the victims are Yoshio Honma, 72, his wife, two daughters and two grandsons who were living in the residence, located about 500 meters east of Nagamachi Station.
Several neighbors said they heard multiple blasts. A 52-year-old man who lives close by said he woke up because of the loud noise. "I saw a pillar of fire shooting up and a large amount of smoke. I was scared because it happened right near my house," he said.
On Aug. 15 last year, another fire broke out at Honma's house late at night, burning a car and four bikes. The cause of that blaze is unknown and it's unclear whether it has any connection with the latest fire.
