Gunpowder blast shrouds Tokyo in smoke - Telegraph
Teams of firemen battled to get the blaze under control after it destroyed two buildings and left four other people injured, officials at the Tokyo Fire Department said.
Shinichi Yokoyama, 60, who was among the injured, said the blast occurred when he was mixing gunpowder, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.
His company supplies explosives for gunfire scenes in film and television productions and stores its product in quantity at its business premises in downtown Tokyo.
About 60 fire engines and more than 100 firemen rushed to the scene to fight back the flames and hose down the smoking buildings, the fire department said.
Plumes of smoke could be seen from several miles away some time after the accident.
Explosions at gunpowder and fireworks factories are not common in Japan, but in China - where manufacturing standards are not as stringent - there have been dozens of incidents in recent years. They have often resulted in a high number of deaths.
