Overview

• Fire broke out shortly before 2 a.m. on Sept. 25 in a second-floor unit of a five-story building in Asagaya Minami, Suginami Ward.
• Tokyo Fire Department dispatched 29 vehicles and extinguished the blaze in about two hours.
• About 20 square meters of the origin unit burned, and six people were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation with no life-threatening injuries reported.
• The teenage resident told investigators she was charging a smartphone with a portable battery, heard a “bon” sound, and then saw flames.
• Police and fire officials regard the portable charger as the likely ignition source and are examining the exact mechanism.