Large fire spreads in central Japan shopping district near sacred Shinto shrine

A large fire broke out on the afternoon of Aug 31 and spread to multiple buildings in a shopping district near Ise Jingu shrine in Ise, central Japan, local police confirmed.



The affected district is in central Ise, Mie Prefecture, near the outer shrine of Ise Jingu. T



he complex is one of Japan’s most sacred Shinto sites, with its inner shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu.



At around 3.15pm local time, a witness called emergency services to report a fire in a shopping street near the outer shrine.



No injuries had been reported, and local firefighters were working to extinguish the blaze.



According to the police, the blaze was brought under control about 4½ hours later.



Mie Prefecture and the city of Ise set up disaster response headquarters, while evacuation orders were issued for more than 500 residents in around 250 nearby households.