Suddenly: what is the building in the photo above?
It is Nishikanda Cosmos-kan, a Chiyoda-ku public housing block at Nishikanda 2. Fire broke out about 8:30 a.m. on the 2nd from a room on the 20th floor of the 25-story reinforced-concrete building; about 70 square meters of one unit burned.
According to reports, a man in his 20s living in the room thought to be the source was seriously burned on the face and arms; two men in their 60s–70s in other rooms suffered light injuries from smoke. The area is lined with office buildings. Bright flames and black smoke burst from around the 20th floor and the neighborhood was briefly in an uproar. Floors 7–25 are residences; Nishikanda Nursery and others occupy floors 1–5. About 40 children evacuated with residents and were unhurt.
In fact it was visible from a Mainichi Building window in Palaceside Building (photos at right and above). A closer crop looks as if it is right beside Kyoritsu Women’s University (photos at right and below).
On Google Earth the public housing is about 800 meters in a straight line from Palaceside. Kyoritsu Women’s University is about 100 meters from Palaceside, so the housing is some 700 meters beyond that.
The fire started just as Mainichi Building staff were arriving
and starting work; we did not notice. Forty fire engines responded; some staff faintly heard sirens but never thought it was a
building we could see. Well—above all, we were concentrating on work…
As building managers it is not someone else’s affair. Palaceside Building of course manages and operates with full readiness under the law, in hardware such as sprinklers and software such as regular drills. Still, complacency is the enemy. We will tighten our focus still more toward a safe, secure building.