A fire breaks out at Takinogawa Third Elementary School in Kita Ward, Tokyo, sending thick smoke through the building and prompting an evacuation of children and staff, according to multiple reports. Eyewitness footage shows dozens of schoolchildren being forced to escape through windows because of the blaze inside the multi-storey school. In videos shared online, some children are seen clinging to a narrow window ledge as they await rescue.
Reports state that at least one person is injured, though details of injuries are limited across the sources. Rescue teams use ladders to bring children down from the ledge and move them to safety. One outlet reports that around 300 people are evacuated successfully.
The accounts consistently describe the same core events: a fire in a Tokyo primary school, children escaping through windows to a concrete ledge, and firefighters responding to rescue them amid heavy smoke. The reports do not provide information on the fire’s cause.
