Four people were injured in an explosion and fire at an apartment building in central Tokyo on Monday, firefighters said. Television footage showed flames rising from a window and streets littered with debris.
The fire broke out around 15:20 (06:20 GMT) on the second floor of a building in the busy Shimbashi area.
“The sound of an explosion was also heard. A total of 32 fire engines are in use,” a fire department spokesman told AFP.
“Four people are injured, three of them are conscious,” he added, adding that no information has yet been received about the fourth person.
An investigation was launched to determine the cause of the fire.
“The noise was deafening, it was like something huge had been thrown from the top of the building. It was an incredible detonation,” a witness told state broadcaster NHK.
“Scraps of paper were scattered all over the nearby intersection. I knew right away it was an explosion because of the way they were scattered,” he added.