TOKYO, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- A fire burned five houses in Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture in eastern Japan, on Friday, leaving two people dead and one injured, local media said.
The fire department received a call shortly after 7 a.m. local time reporting visible smoke coming from a house in a residential area of Ashikaga City, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control about three and a half hours later. Four houses were almost destroyed, while the roof of another house was damaged in the fire, the report said.
According to police, two bodies were found in the ruins of a burned house, while a man in his 60s was injured in the house believed to be the source of the fire and was taken to the hospital.
Police are working to identify the two bodies and are investigating the exact cause of the fire. ■