possible NK Spy sabotage in Japan's US Military base - Fire + huge Explosions

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/24/i...ck-us-army-storage-depot-near-tokyo.html?_r=0

Explosions Rock U.S. Army Storage Depot Near Tokyo

By ANDREW SIDDONS and MAKIKO INOUEAUG. 23, 2015

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WASHINGTON — Explosions of still-undetermined origin rocked a United States Army storage depot near Tokyo, the Pentagon said on Sunday. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters at the Sagami Depot in the city of Sagamihara, about 25 miles southwest of Tokyo, were working to extinguish a blaze that followed the explosions, officials said.

“There are no reports of injury, and base firefighters and first responders are currently fighting the resulting fire to prevent its spread to nearby buildings,” said Cmdr. Bill Urban, a Defense Department spokesman.

Masuo Kobayashi, a spokesman for the Sagamihara fire department, said a worker at the Army depot called around 12:45 a.m. local time. The fire department dispatched 13 firefighting teams, including more than 10 fire engines, Mr. Kobayashi said. Several hours later, the fire still had not been extinguished.

According to the Japanese broadcaster NHK, a worker at the Army depot told the fire department that the warehouse held oxide containers, and those seemed to have caught fire.

There were no evacuation advisories issued for nearby residents, and the possibility that the fire could expand or do further damage was thought to be low.

Video footage taken by a resident about 300 yards away from the depot showed a large, orange, smoldering glow as bursts of light resembling fireworks flashed through the night sky.

The sounds of explosions continued for nearly 15 minutes.

“When I was about to go to bed, I heard the sound of explosion and saw sparks coming off,” the woman who recorded the video said. “It smelled like gunpowder or something like that.”

Makiko Inoue reported from Tokyo.


HUAT! Ah!

And Chee Meng will swear that rock cavern r safe.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/explosion-at-u-s-army-base-outside-tokyo-lights-up-night-sky-1.2529910

Explosion at U.S. Army base outside Tokyo lights up night sky
Explosion

An unidentified person from U.S. military speaks to journalists after an explosion at a U.S. Army depot in Sagamihara, southwest of Tokyo, early Sunday, Aug. 24, 2015. An explosion at the Sagami Depot set off a large blaze that lit up the night sky early Monday morning, but there were no reports of injuries. (Kyodo News via AP)


The Associated Press
Published Sunday, August 23, 2015 9:46PM EDT
Last Updated Sunday, August 23, 2015 10:30PM EDT

TOKYO -- Multiple explosions and a large fire at a U.S. Army depot lit up the night sky in a Tokyo suburb early Monday. No injuries were reported.

The blast happened after midnight at the Sagami General Depot in Sagamihara, a city about 25 miles (40 kilometres) southwest of Tokyo, said Navy Commander Bill Urban, a Pentagon press officer.

The building that exploded was storing compressed nitrogen, oxygen, Freon and air, a statement issued by the U.S. Army Japan said. Photos taken after daybreak and released by the Army show dozens of grey canisters lying on the floor, and what looks like mangled storage racks.

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. There are no indications of injuries.

Video on Japanese television, apparently shot from an elevated place outside the post, shows a fire in the distance and subsequent explosions shooting small fiery blasts into the sky. A woman told national broadcaster NHK that it sounded like fireworks.

About 580 people work at the 200-hectare (500-acre) depot, NHK said.

Base firefighters were joined by Japanese emergency responders in fighting the fire to present its spread to nearby buildings, the Army said.

"The Army appreciates the quick reaction and support of our partners from the Sagamihara City emergency services," said an earlier statement from U.S. Army Japan.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation.