A fire broke out around 11 a.m. Friday at the Takinogawa No. 3 Elementary School in the Kita Ward of Tokyo. Approximately 300 students and staff members were inside the four-story building when the blaze began.
The fire started near a music room on the fourth floor. Television footage showed black smoke billowing from the windows as dozens of fire engines were deployed to combat the flames. While many individuals evacuated to a nearby park on their own, firefighters rescued a teacher and several children from the building.
Several students sustained injuries from smoke inhalation, and at least one person was sent to the hospital. Officials stated that all injuries were non-life-threatening. Efforts to fully extinguish the fire were still underway, and the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.