SHIRAKAWA, Gifu Prefecture--When a fire broke out in a cottage at a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site here in November, residents' cooperation and quick response from firefighters stopped the blaze from spreading, averting a disaster.

That marked a sharp contrast to the catastrophe that unfurled at Shuri-jo castle in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, whose Seiden main hall was gutted by a blaze in late October.

On Nov. 4 at a little past 2:30 p.m., flames rose near a hut across a river from the Shirakawago district here. Four construction workers nearby soon saw a stream of white smoke pouring from the cottage by a parking lot packed with sightseeing buses.

A souvenir store clerk also spotted the fire and called the emergency number 119 around the same time. The clerk reported that flames and smoke were rising from the back of the hut, with the entire building promptly being engulfed by flames.

“I was worried that the flames may have spread to neighboring ‘gassho-zukuri’ (traditional steep-roofed) houses and our store,” said the shop employee.

A short time later, professional firefighters and local volunteer fire brigade members arrived at the site to join efforts to extinguish the blaze.

Among the total of 20 people involved, Yusuke Sakai, 32, a construction worker who assisted in the initial firefighting efforts, worked with others to destroy the roof of the burning building with heavy machinery on site to help put out the blaze.

As the roof of the gassho-zukuri cottage boasted a thick structure, the fire might have continued burning within the ceiling.

As a member of the Shirakawa village’s volunteer fire brigade, Sakai won the prefectural fire brigade competition held in Gifu Prefecture this year.

“I had never seen such a large fire, so I was initially upset,” Sakai said. “But I gradually calmed down. I thought that I must prevent the flames from spreading.”

Meanwhile, shortly after the fire at the cottage was spotted, residents across the river started taking measures to protect other gassho-zukuri structures from the blaze, such as swiftly sending water to a height of 30 meters from water cannons set up beside buildings, with sirens wailing.

A drill had been carried out in late October to defend buildings from blazes with curtains of water sprayed from cannons.

Kimiharu Neo, 44, who sells deep-fried chicken and other articles, rushed out of his shop when hearing the siren and watered down surrounding gassho-zukuri buildings for 30 minutes.

Columns of water were also seen rising from houses nearby, and the residents’ firefighting endeavors continued for nearly an hour in Shirakawago.

“We have been residents of a World Heritage site for more than 20 years,” said Neo. “We did nothing special but just what we needed to do to protect the community.”

According to the Shirakawa village, 59 water cannons set up between the gassho-zukuri buildings at Shirakawago are managed by residents to defend the resident-owned structures from fires.

There are also hydrants located in front of the iconic structures.

“Residents’ helping each other to protect their homes first of all is important,” said a municipal official.

PREVENTING A RECURRENCE

According to fire station officials, the cause of the blaze in Shirakawa has yet to be determined even after a month, although the possibility of arson is low.

Although no damage to the World Heritage buildings was reported, the fire station intends to join hands with the local fire brigade and the village to raise awareness of fire preventive measures.

Based on the belief that “some countermeasures should be taken even though the cause has not been determined,” the municipality and firefighting authorities have begun examining hydrants around Shirakawago.

Five officers from the Takayama fire station’s Shirakawa branch walked around the district on Nov. 25 to inspect 50 fireplugs there, shouting, “How many hoses are there?” and “I have finished checking this.”

Unlike water cannons designed to prevent the spread of flames, hydrants are installed in front of gassho-zukuri residences and elsewhere to extinguish blazes.

As 40 years have passed since the fireplugs were introduced by the village, some of the parts are thought to be in need of replacement. Because of that, the officials examined hoses and other fittings to see if they have deteriorated over time.

During the officers’ visit to the Wada family’s home, which is designated by the state as an important cultural property and shown to the public, Masahito Wada, 59, director of the facility, was in attendance.

Wada noted that although he and his wife operated two nearby water cannons on Nov. 4 to help prevent the blaze from spreading at the time of the fire as a training session on the equipment is conducted every year, they have never used the hydrants.

“I do not want to experience such a horror again,” said Wada. “I need to train myself to operate fireplugs and hoses as well.”