Fire in built environment
Details
Event title
Japan - Nighttime fire at Buddhist temple kills 5 in western Japan
Source
Severity
Mid
Event date (UTC)
2026-02-20 09:18:13
Last update (UTC)
2026-02-20 09:18:14
Area range
Local event
Address/Affected area(s)
Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi
A fire broke out early Friday at a Buddhist temple in the western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi, killing five people, local authorities said.
Police said five people are believed to have been living at the two-story wooden temple in Shimonoseki, which has a residential area connected to it.The fire was extinguished at around 5:40 a.m., about three hours after a neighbor made an emergency call, according to the police and the local fire department.