INCALCULABLE LOSS

Fire Engulfs Historic Shuri Castle in Okinawa, Japan

The fire destroyed the main building and quickly spread to other buildings in the complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A fire engulfed Shuri Castle in Okinawa, Japan, destroying the main building of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fire broke out around 2:30 a.m. and quickly spread to other buildings in the complex, police said. “The cause of the fire has not been determined yet but a security company alarm went off at around 2:30 in the morning,” Ryo Kochi, a spokesman with the Okinawa prefectural police, said. No injuries have been reported, but nearby residents were evacuated while firefighters attempted to bring the blaze under control. Shuri Castle was built during the Ryukyu Dynasty, which began in 1429. The original castle was almost completely destroyed by U.S. forces during World War II but was restored and reopened as a national park in 1992.