Tokyo, Jan 9 : A fire engulfed five houses in Ashikaga City in Tochigi Prefecture of eastern Japan, on Friday, leaving two people dead and one injured, local media said.

The fire department received a call shortly after 7 a.m. (local time) reporting visible smoke coming from a house in a residential area of Ashikaga City, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing public broadcaster NHK

Firefighters brought the blaze under control about three and a half hours later. Four houses were almost destroyed, while the roof of another house was damaged in the fire, the report said.

According to police, two bodies were found in the ruins of a burned house, while a man in his 60s was injured in the house believed to be the source of the fire and was taken to the hospital.

Police are working to identify the two bodies and are investigating the exact cause of the fire.

On Thursday, a wildfire broke out on Mt. Ogi in Japan's Yamanashi Prefecture with no casualties reported so far, local media reported.

Local residents reported smoke rising from Mt. Ogi near Uenohara City at around 10.45 a.m. (local time). The fire continues to spread, NHK reported.

As fire engines have difficulty accessing the site due to the mountainous terrain, firefighting authorities are deploying helicopters to battle the blaze, it said.

Uenohara City issued a forest fire alert in recent days amid low precipitation and dry air conditions.

In December last year, several people were injured after a fire broke out at an apartment building in Niigata City in central Japan, local media reported.

The fire occurred in a 10-story apartment building in Chuo Ward in Niigata City, NHK reported. Firefighters were dispatched to the site of the incident to contain the blaze.

Local authorities said the incident resulted in multiple injuries, though further details were not immediately available.

The apartment building is located in a busy downtown area of Niigata City, surrounded by restaurants and other residential buildings.

/IANS