{
  "id": 5351345,
  "title": "Fire erupts during demolition of quake-damaged chimney at paper factory in Japan",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/fire-erupts-during-demolition-of-quake-damaged-chimney-at-paper",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T14:53:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Associated Press",
    "slug": "associated-press",
    "url": "https://apnews.com/article/japan-kumamoto-earthquake-chimney-fire-19676d6079d0b8af026f821ee3a39aba"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A fire erupted on Thursday during the demolition of an earthquake-damaged chimney at a paper factory in Japan's Kumamoto prefecture, according to NHK national television footage. Orange flames and thick black smoke were visible emerging from one of the broken chimneys at Nippon Paper Industries' factory. The municipal fire department in Yatsushiro City received an emergency call from an employee reporting the fire at 7:00 PM, citing it had broken out during demolition work. The factory had previously experienced a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on July 28, which killed 38 people and resulted in the collapse of an 80-meter-high chimney, claiming the lives of nine factory employees. The disaster also led to the destruction or damage of approximately 36,000 houses and buildings, with over 2,000 individuals still residing in evacuation centers, including school gymnasiums and community centers. The exact cause of Thursday's fire remains unknown, but firefighting efforts involving 14 fire engines are still ongoing after more than three hours.",
  "summary": "TOKYO (AP) — A fire broke out Thursday during the demolition of an earthquake-damaged chimney at a paper…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}