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A fire broke out at Takinogawa Dai-san Elementary School in Tokyo on Friday, injuring at least one person and forcing the evacuation of pupils and staff, according to local media reports.
The fire reportedly started in a music room on the upper floor of the building. A fire department official said firefighting operations were still ongoing and confirmed that at least one person had been taken to the hospital.
Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that the injured person was a teacher, while several pupils were treated for smoke inhalation. All students and staff were safely evacuated from the school.
Some children were reportedly guided onto a concrete ledge outside the building before firefighters brought them down with ladders.
A sixth-grade pupil, while speaking to AFP, said she and her classmates first smelled smoke before an alarm sounded.
“We thought maybe someone was cooking, then the siren went off,” she said.
She added that flames were already visible in the music room by the time they reached safety and that many children were frightened, with some breaking down in tears.
“Then we saw the music room already burning with flames. There’s a multi-purpose room next to it, and we heard a bang from around the area between the multi-purpose room and the music room.
Television footage showed dozens of firefighters working to contain the blaze, directing streams of water from the school grounds toward the smoke-filled building.
Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fire.
