Fire at Japanese Aluminum Foundry Forces Evacuation

Melted ventilation caps along the ridge of an aluminum foundry’s roof indicate the heat generated by a two-hour ceiling fire Wednesday morning in Enu City, Japan, that forced 60 workers to flee.

The worst injury reported was burns to a 25-year-old worker who attempted to fight the blaze with a fire extinguisher. The worker’s burns required hospital treatment.

Press accounts report that about 72 square meters of the foundry’s ceiling were damaged by the blaze. Police suspect that a fire in an exhaust fan may have spread into the factory’s ventilation system.