Rebuilt Shuri Castle stages fire drill ahead of opening

Resumen detallado

A fire drill has been held at Shuri Castle's restored main hall in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, ahead of its reopening to the public scheduled for November 23.

A fire drill has been held at Shuri Castle's restored main hall in Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, ahead of its reopening to the public scheduled for November 23.

The building was among structures hit by a devastating fire before sunrise on October 31, 2019. Since then, parties including the castle's administrative foundation and the local fire department have held a joint drill annually.

About 100 people took part in the exercise that started at 6 a.m. on Saturday.

A system that automatically alerts the castle's administrative center and the fire department when smoke or heat is detected is installed at the main hall.

In a scenario where a fire broke out on the first floor of the main hall, participants simulated initial efforts to put out the fire by using extinguishers and hoses.

Firefighters then arrived at the scene and sprayed water on the building. Special hoses that have punctures in them were also used. The holes created curtains of water, which are aimed at preventing the fire from spreading.

Kinoshita Ryota, an official of the castle's administrative foundation, said the landmark is a pride of the Okinawan people. He said they will continue making best possible fire prevention efforts to ensure that the castle will be handed over to future generations, while maintaining a high level of disaster preparedness.

Inicio del artículo, extracto de NHK World. Para leer el resto, abra el artículo en el sitio del medio.