Four people were killed Sunday in a fire that burned down a house in the suburbs of Tokyo, according to police.
A nearby resident in the city of Hino made an emergency call at around 2:45 a.m. to report the fire at the two-story wooden house.
Authorities identified two people who were taken to a hospital and later confirmed dead as Minae Ichikawa, 71, and her husband's mother, Chisato Ichikawa, 98. The remaining two, who were found dead at the scene, were believed to be Ichikawa's husband, who was in his 70s and the couple's eldest son, who was in his 40s.
The blaze was extinguished about 2½ hours after the call, with 23 fire engines, police cars and rescue vehicles arriving at the scene. The house where the fire occurred is in a residential area located about 200 meters west of Mogusaen Station on the Keio Line.
"I came out after I heard the sirens blaring and saw and smelled the smoke coming from the house," a 66-year-old neighbor said. "I was surprised by the number of fire trucks."
