NAHA -- Immediately after the fire broke out at Shuri Castle in Naha on Thursday, several security guards said they had seen black smoke on the northern side of the Seiden main hall, according to Okinawa prefectural police. The area the security guards headed for held electric facilities, leading the police to suspect that the northern side of the first floor of the main hall was where the fire originated.
Police are trying to identify the cause of the fire, with one possibility being electrical system trouble.
According to the prefectural police and the Naha Fire Department, on-site inspections that began Friday have prioritized the northern side of the main hall.
In Sunday's inspections, the authorities recovered an electric device some meters long and aim to conduct detailed analyses of the equipment.
It is believed that no one was at the Seiden main hall when the fire started, thus the possibility of arson is low.
The fire started before dawn on Oct. 31. At 2:34 a.m., sensors installed in the Seiden main hall detected abnormal conditions near the northern side of the building. At 2:35 a.m., one of the security guards unlocked and opened a shutter in the northern side and entered the building. The security guard found the space was full of black smoke.
The security guard then left the main hall to bring fire extinguishers while the shutter was kept open. It is possible that wind blew into the building through the open shutter and spread the fire.
Another security guard who rushed to the site after being notified witnessed black smoke escaping from the gaps of a window nearby.
Police officers who arrived at the scene at 2:53 a.m. also said that the northern side of the building was burning intensely.
During the on-site inspections, officials have confirmed how severely the roof tiles and debris were burned in each of the spots where they are collecting evidence, searching for the cause and origin of the fire by analyzing the degree of carbonization.
According to the Okinawa Churashima Foundation, which manages and operates Shuri Castle, about 1,080 artworks escaped the fire because they were stored in two fire-resistant warehouses. The foundation will check each item individually to see whether or how they are damaged.
Donations top 100 million yen.
On the third day after the Naha city government began to ask for donations under the furusato nozei goodwill donation system for the reconstruction of Shuri Castle, the amount surpassed the target of 100 million yen. The city government will continue accepting donations toward the reconstruction of the castle.
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