Fire Breaks out at Hazmat Facility at US Air Base on Okinawa

Smoke rises from at the 18th Wing Hazardous Materials Pharmacy building at Kadena Air Base during a fire on Okinawa island, Japan,on June 22, 2020. Kyodo News via AP

TOKYO—A fire broke out on June 22 in a storage building for hazardous materials at a major U.S. air base on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, slightly injuring dozens of personnel who were exposed to smoke or chlorine gas, the U.S. military said.

The blaze began in the morning in the building at Kadena Air Base and was extinguished several hours later, the U.S. Air Force said.