Two firefighters who died after two buildings caught fire in the city of Osaka on Monday were apparently trapped on the sixth floor of one of the buildings as it started to collapse.
The two men who died were identified as Takashi Mori, 55, and Mitsunari Nagatomo, 22, of the Naniwa fire station in the city. Authorities on Tuesday conducted an on-site investigation into what caused the fire.
According to the city’s fire department, three firefighters started their way up from the ground floor of a seven-story building as it burned. One of them later escaped, but the remaining two became trapped, and were later found on the sixth floor.
Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama told reporters on Monday evening that the two who died may have been trapped after the building started to collapse while they were trying to put out the fire.
“It’s extremely regrettable that the firefighters lost their lives. May they rest in peace,” said Yokoyama. “We will investigate what happened and take measures to prevent a recurrence.”
The fire department also said it will establish an investigative panel to look into the incident.
When the fire department inspected the two buildings in June 2023, there were six violations under the fire law, including there not being enough fire alarms installed and more fire drills needing to be conducted. The department issued warnings to the building operators, who rectified some of the violations.
Monday's fire was reported to authorities at around 9:50 a.m., prompting 65 fire engines and other rescue vehicles to be dispatched. About 100 square meters were burned in the fire, which was put out about nine hours later.
In addition to the two firefighters who died, a woman in her 20s and four other firefighters sustained minor injuries.
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