TOYAMA, Japan - A traditional Japanese-style building in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Gokayama in Toyama Prefecture, central Japan, caught fire Thursday, but the blaze was brought under control about 50 minutes later, local authorities said.
The fire was reported shortly after 1 p.m. at a triangular-shaped, gassho-style farmhouse in Nanto that serves as a museum on the production of a key gunpowder ingredient. No one was injured, according to the local police and fire department.
The building is part of the Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, which span Gifu and neighboring Toyama prefectures. The villages are known for their traditional houses with steeply pitched thatched roofs.
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