A fire occurred inside Takinogawa Daisan Elementary School, which is under the jurisdiction of Kita Ward in Tokyo, Japan. At least 10 students and teachers were injured due to inhalation of toxic smoke and accidents during evacuation. Authorities successfully evacuated everyone from the area safely.
At around 11:00 a.m. local time today (19 Jun), the Tokyo Fire Department and Tokyo Metropolitan Police received reports of a fire at Takinogawa Daisan Elementary School, located in Kita Ward, Tokyo. The fire originated on the fourth floor of the school building.
Reports indicate thick black smoke and bright red flames were forcefully billowing out of the music room's fourth-floor windows. At the time, fifth-grade students were attending class in that room. The fire's origin is believed to be from an adjacent room. Authorities deployed 68 fire trucks and rescue vehicles to the scene to rapidly douse and contain the blaze, which was brought under control by around noon. Initial damage assessment found approximately 200 square meters of the fourth floor burned.
At the time of the fire, nearly 330 students and teachers were inside this four-story reinforced concrete school building. The incident caused significant panic. Some students had to evacuate to the rooftop, and four children trapped on the second floor were safely rescued by emergency personnel. Early reports mistakenly suggested many were trapped inside, but by noon, officials confirmed all students and staff were successfully evacuated with no one left inside.
The Kita Ward Board of Education revealed that the school has a total of 340 students and 24 teachers. From this incident, 10 individuals were injured: seven students inhaled toxic smoke, one male student was injured from a fall during evacuation, and two teachers were also hurt. All were urgently transported to local hospitals. Preliminary medical reports indicate all are in stable condition with no life-threatening injuries.
Witnesses described chaotic scenes with numerous fire trucks and ambulances sounding sirens loudly. The incident occurred in a residential area approximately 150 meters south of Asukayama Station on the Toden Arakawa tram line and about 400 meters south of JR Oji Station.
Currently, Tokyo Metropolitan Police and Fire Department officials are conducting a thorough investigation of the site and interviewing witnesses to determine the exact cause of the fire.