Fire erupts at quake-hit Kumamoto paper mill, later extinguished

KUMAMOTO, Japan - A fire broke out Thursday at a plant damaged in the magnitude-7.1 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture in late July and was extinguished about six and a half hours later, local authorities said.

Police said all 10 workers at the site evacuated safely and no injuries were reported at Nippon Paper Industries Co.'s mill, where three chimneys were hit by the quake, including an 80-meter-high one that snapped in the middle, killing nine workers.