OSAKA -- A fire broke out at the Brazilian Pavilion for the Osaka Expo here on the evening of April 4, before it was extinguished shortly afterward. No one was injured, according to the event organizer.

The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition said the blaze, which was discovered after someone spotted smoke coming from the pavilion at around 7:20 p.m., damaged the ceiling material and cabling of the building on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka's Konohana Ward.

The Osaka Municipal Fire Department sent 16 fire engines to the scene. Police and the fire department are investigating the circumstances behind the incident.

The fire occurred as some 10,000 stakeholders and others were taking part in the first day of a three-day trial run at the Expo venue ahead of opening day on April 13. The Brazilian Pavilion has been undergoing interior finishing work, so was not part of the rehearsal.

(Japanese original by Hideto Okazaki and Kana Nemoto, Osaka City News Department)