Explosion At Army Base In Tokyo
The explosion at Army base in Tokyo sparked a large fire but caused no injuries, according to a Fox News report. The explosion at the Sagami Depot happened around midnight in Japan on Monday, the Defense Department says. The base is located in the city of Sagamihara, which is about 25 miles southwest of Tokyo.
The cause of the U.S. Army base explosion remains unknown, NEWSOXY reports. The building where the fire occurred does not reportedly house hazardous material, radiological materials, or ammunition.
UPDATE: New Footage Shows Massive Explosions at US Army Base in Japan – http://t.co/BCdV5etEMp pic.twitter.com/gDtKKI1kvX
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 23, 2015
Firefighters were able to battle the blaze quickly and extinguish the fire before it spread to other buildings at the Sagami Depot Army base. The building where the explosion occurred reportedly stored compressed nitrogen, oxygen, Freon, and air, according to an Army statement shared by the Guardian. Photos taken at the scene show scores of gray canisters on the floor.
The walls of the one-story, concrete building remain intact, but the windows and doors are damaged and about half of the roof collapsed, the army said.
WATCH: Explosion at US army base in #Japan lights up night sky http://t.co/uWVgJFI9dv #video pic.twitter.com/qiUQ7wnqbf
— Asian Correspondent (@AsCorrespondent) August 24, 2015
“The building that exploded was not a hazardous material storage facility. We are in the process of determining the contents of the building. The depot does not store ammunition or radiological materials,” Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Toner said. Approximately 200 individuals work at the Army base during daytime hours.
“We are in the process of determining the exact contents of the building,” A Department of Defense statement said.
Multiple explosions and a large fire at a US Army depot in Japan light up the night sky http://t.co/uBcjKEXghs pic.twitter.com/JqGVlnEUYl
— TODAY (@TODAYonline) August 24, 2015
Both videos and photos of the Tokyo depot explosion went viral on social media shortly after the incident. In addition to a large fire, the videos also highlighted several “loud booms” and smoke rising above a base structure.
Explosion at US Army base in Japan #International http://t.co/1QoGgK2to1 pic.twitter.com/HQhwelIGQJ
— Vishwa Gujarat (@vishwagujarat) August 24, 2015
Emergency vehicles and helicopters quickly arrived on the scene after the explosion. One witness said she thought the initial boom from the explosion were merely thunder, until she heard several “explosions in quick succession.” The female witness at the U.S. Army base also recalled a smelling a scent that was “gunpowder-ish” in nature.
Multiple explosions have been reported from a U.S. military base in Japan: http://t.co/lu0JJmO0R4 pic.twitter.com/AG2kzetHnN
— IBTimes (@IBTimes) August 23, 2015
In April, three explosions which were reportedly linked to a “left-wing extremist group” reportedly occurred near the Tokyo U.S. Army base.
What do you think if the cause of the explosion at the Army base in Tokyo?
[Image via Patrik Slezak / Shutterstock]
