Fire Engulfs Okinawa's Historic Shuri Castle|沖繩世界遺產"首里城"大火 3大殿全燒毀

發布時間：2019/10/31 16:32 更新時間：2019/10/31 18:47

C. Chuang

UNESCO World Heritage Site Shuri Castle in Japan's Okinawa Prefecture caught on fire during the early hours of Oct. 31. The main, north, and south buildings were destroyed, and other structures were affected. Hundreds of firefighters were mobilized to battle the fire.

It's collapsing, it's burning down. Oh no, it has burned down.

Wooden structures crumple as they are ravaged by the fire. During the early hours of Oct. 31, UNESCO World Heritage Site Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, suddenly caught on fire. The main, north, and south halls were completely destroyed, and other structures were affected as well. Several hours after the fire started, white smoke and small flames could still be seen.

The fire department received a notification from the fire alarm installed in Shuri Castle's main hall. We contacted the security company, which confirmed that the building had caught on fire, and we rushed over.

Shuri Castle was constructed over 500 years ago as the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom. In 1933, the Japanese government designated it as a national treasure. Shuri Castle was almost completely destroyed during World War II's Pacific War. In 1992, the government, experts, and archaeologists began restoring it. In 2000, the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu were registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Shuri Castle was one of the sites. It subsequently became a popular tourist attraction, including among Taiwan tourists.

I'm very shocked and I feel sad.

It took so much effort to restore it and make it beautiful again. It's such a pity.

Shuri Castle is a symbol of Okinawa's unique history. Okinawa used it to promote tourism, so it can be considered a symbol of Okinawa as well as a local cultural emblem. It is also something that Okinawans are intensely proud of.

As the majority of the structures inside the complex were constructed out of wood, the fire burned quickly and hundreds of firefighters in 30 fire engines were mobilized. The fight to completely extinguish the fire continues. One firefighter was hospitalized for dehydration. Naha has also opened emergency shelters for residents as breezes are ferrying sparks from the fire.

沖繩居民表示：「啊！掉下來了，燒到崩塌了，哎呀！崩塌了。」

木造建築隨著大火，不斷塌下來，到了清晨，建築還不停冒白煙，隱約還能看到微微火光。日本沖繩那霸市的世界遺產之一「首里城」，31號凌晨突然發生大火，城內的正殿、北殿跟南殿，全部付之一炬，還延燒到其他建築。

那霸市消防員表示：「我們是收到從首里城正殿裝置的自動火災警報器，發出給消防局的火災訊號，然後向保全公司確認，發現真的失火了(就趕過來)。」

500年前在琉球王國時代建造的「首里城」，1933年，被日本政府指定為國寶建築，但卻在二戰的太平洋戰爭中燒毀。經過政府與專家跟考古學家努力，從1992年開始，陸續修復，並在2000年，跟其他那霸市內遺跡，一起登錄成為世界遺產之一，成為海內外，包括台灣遊客愛去的觀光地。

沖繩居民表示：「非常震驚，感到很難過。」

沖繩居民表示：「好不容易才復原重建，變得華麗漂亮，真的很可惜。」

琉球大學名譽教授高良倉吉表示：「代表沖繩獨特歷史的象徵地，就是首里城，(沖繩)也以此用各種方式推廣(觀光)，能說是沖繩的象徵，也是當地文化象徵，更是沖繩縣民引以為傲的場所。」

由於城內多數是木造建築，警消動員了超過30台消防車，上百位消防員救火，至今仍無法完全撲滅火災，還有一位消防員因此脫水送醫。目前因為大火有火花隨著強風，飄散出來，那霸市府也緊急開放避難所，疏散周圍居民。