TOKYO, Japan – A fire broke out Monday morning in a building under demolition near Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport. It scorched about 900 square meters of the building’s roof. No injuries were reported, and no air traffic was disrupted.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Transport, the fire broke out at 9:10 a.m. local time inside a building formerly used as an aircraft hangar in the Ota district. Thick black smoke billowed into the air. Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control two hours later.
Police said that approximately 20 workers were at the demolition site at the time of the incident. They believe the fire broke out during the cutting of metal poles.
The damaged building is located just 1.2 kilometers northwest of Terminal 3 at Haneda Airport. This airport is one of Japan’s busiest, handling more than 87 million passengers annually. It serves as a major gateway connecting Tokyo to international and regional destinations.
The Ministry of Transport confirmed that air traffic at the airport was not affected, and that flights were continuing normally.