By Mari Yamaguchi
The Associated Press
TOKYO — Police say a fire has killed at least seven residents of a nursing home in eastern Japan.
One state police official says investigators and firefighters are combing through the debris to determine the cause of the Thursday night blaze.
He says the fire at the Tamayura nursing home in Shibukawa City killed seven residents and left four with serious burns. He says the blaze, which destroyed two buildings and heavily damaged a third, was extinguished after two hours.
Another police official says authorities have not yet identified the charred bodies — believed to be four men and three women — who were apparently too frail to escape.
Both spoke on condition of anonymity, citing police department policy.