Thirty-nine houses along a river Fast Yodogawa Ward in Osaka were destroyed by fire yesterday when benzine leaking into the river from a pharmaceutical plant caught fire.
The blaze raged for more than two hours before it was brought under control. Damage was estimated today at more than Y.100,000.
It was the second disastrous fire in Japan in less than 12 hours.
Eight patients in a hospital were burned to death on Wednesday night at Shikuka in Sakhalien. Twenty other patients managed to escape. Three firemen were seriously Erased fighting the blaze, which spread to neighbouring houses and destroyed six of them. Damage was estimated at more than Y.100,000. The blaze originated from an overheated stovepipe.
Other parts of Japan reported numerous fires, with the cold wave that hit Japan several days ago blame ed for most of them—Domei.
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