Tokyo firefighters battle blaze at world's biggest fish market

Record ID: 905116

  • Title: Tokyo firefighters battle blaze at world's biggest fish market
  • Date: 3rd August 2017
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (AUGUST 3, 2017) (REUTERS) FIRE ENGINE ARRIVING AT JAPANESE TSUKIJI FISH MARKET SIGN READING (Japanese): "TSUKIJI" VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS OUTSIDE TSUKIJI FISH MARKET HOSING BUILDING FIRE INSIDE BUILDING SIGN OF TUNA AT TSUKIJI FISH MARKET (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) PRESIDENT OF KIYOMURA CORPORATION OPERATING SUSHI CHAIN SUSHI ZANMAI, KIYOSHI KIMURA, SAYING: "I hope the area will be able to quickly recover to what it used to be before." PLUME OF SMOKE RISING FROM TSUKIJI MARKET FIREFIGHTERS HOSING BUILDING FIREFIGHTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) RESTAURANT WORKER AT TSUKIJI INNER MARKET, YOSHITO MATSUSHITA, SAYING: "Locals at Tsukiji Fish Market work really hard for their living. We all know they attracted many customers and tourists. I'm worried about how they'll cope with this incident. It must be hard for them, with such severe damage (to their shops). VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS HOSING BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) VISITOR TO TSUKIJI, CHIKA SATO, SAYING: "I was concerned about shops. I feel really sad that the fire damaged the top of building and has changed the appearance of the outer market." FIREFIGHTERS HOSING BUILDING FIREFIGHTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) TOKYO RESIDENT, SAYOKO SAKUI, SAYING: "I was checking my phone and saw rumours written that the cause of the fire was possible arson because of the ongoing Tsukiji relocation issues. I'm concerned about these baseless rumours." PEOPLE LOOKING ON PEOPLE TAKING PHOTOS OF FIRE VARIOUS OF FIRE ENGINES AT TSUKIJI FISHMARKET
  • Embargoed: 17th August 2017 18:33
  • Keywords: Japan fire Tsukiji fish market
  • Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • City: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Fires
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016SLR3NP
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Dozens of Tokyo firefighters were battling a blaze on Thursday (August 3) at the world's largest fish market and one of the capital's most popular tourist sites, as grey smoke billowed over the city.
    There were no immediate reports of injuries or people trapped, media said.
    The 80-year-old Tsukiji fish market draws tens of thousands of visitors a year to its warren of stalls laden with exotic species of fish and fresh sushi, part of a tourism boom that is a key part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic plan.
    The fire broke out just before 5 p.m. (0800 GMT) and some 44 fire trucks were on the scene. But efforts to contain the flames were hampered by the area's narrow streets and tight-knit buildings.
    The cause was not immediately known.
    The fire was in Tsukiji's "outer" market - an area packed with informal restaurants where tourists can tuck into fresh seafood plates and sushi. However, the Tsukiji "inner" market, where most seafood wholesalers are located and tuna auctions are carried out at dawn, was not affected.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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