Thursday marked a week since a fire destroyed the buildings of Shuri Castle, including the Seiden main hall, in Naha. Seven buildings were either completely or severely destroyed by the fire, due to the lack of effective fire extinguishing equipment. The structure and layout of the buildings may have contributed to the spread of the fire.
"There is a large space in the main hall with nothing to block the fire. I think the fire spread quickly," a senior official of the Naha Fire Department said regretfully.
According to the department and other authorities, the fire originated in the three-story wooden main hall, which measured about 1,199 square meters. In the era of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the hall's first floor was used when the king and his senior vassals held ceremonies and meetings, and not many partitions were used. The largest room is about 200 square meters and the ceiling is about 2.4 meters high. No fire doors were installed to prevent the fire from spreading in the building.
The flames quickly spread to the Hokuden north hall (473 square meters), Nanden south hall and the adjoining Bandokoro building (608 square meters), which are all adjacent to the main hall. In total, seven buildings were destroyed by the fire. These buildings were arranged in a square surrounding the garden in front of the main hall. The arrangement of the buildings led to an accumulation of radiant heat, preventing firefighters from reaching the site. An about 10-meter-high castle wall also prevented fire engines from approaching the main hall.
Fire extinguishing equipment did not function effectively. The restored main hall was not legally obligated to have sprinklers. "The installation of sprinklers was discussed during the restoration work, but was shelved for fear of flooding due to malfunction," said an official involved in the restoration.
According to the Okinawa Churashima Foundation, a general incorporated foundation that manages and operates Shuri Castle, a drencher with 74 nozzles was installed under the eaves of the main building. It automatically sprinkled water when the fire broke out, but the device was designed to prevent the spread of the fire from other buildings, so it could not put out the fire within.
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