2 Die in Cake Shop Fire in Central Japan

Gifu, Sept. 6 (Jiji Press)–A fire broke out at a cake shop in the city of Motosu, Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, Saturday night, and two bodies were found from the site, according to local authorities. Three other people were sent to hospital, but their conditions are not immediately known. The fire at the confectionery shop, Sunrise, started around 9 p.m. Saturday. A person who was at the scene made an emergency call to police, saying: “Someone was stabbed. Gasoline was sprayed, and a fire broke out.” The Gifu prefectural police department is investigating details. According to the police, there were a total of 11 people at the cake shop–a woman in her 60s who is related to the store and her acquaintances–at the time. The fire was extinguished about three hours later. About 300 square meters of the steel-framed mixed-use building with two stories were burned. The cake shop, which also has an eat-in area, is celebrating its 20th anniversary, according to its website. The store, located in a residential neighborhood, is about 1 kilometer southwest of Kitagata Makuwa Station of Tarumi Railway Co. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]