Key Facts

• The fire happened at a paper factory in Yatsushiro City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.
• It started while workers were removing the broken tip of a damaged chimney.
• The chimney was damaged in a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on July 28.
• The earthquake killed 38 people, including 9 factory workers when an 80-meter high chimney collapsed.
• More than 36,000 houses and buildings were destroyed or damaged by the earthquake.
• Over 2,000 people remain in evacuation centers like school gyms and community halls.
• Firefighters used 14 fire engines and continued fighting the fire more than three hours after it began.
• No injuries were reported from the fire, but the cause is still unknown.