Thebuilding did not have sprinklers, and its owners apparently had notreceived appropriate permits to expand it recently, according tovarious news reports.
The fire reportedly burned down threebuildings at the facility, which was nonetheless too small to fallunder a sprinkler mandate, according to officials quoted in apublished report. The cause of the fire was still unknown at presstime but the prefectural government was scheduled to begininvestigating the facility and its services today..
The Seiyo Home Tamayura is inShibukawa in Gunma Prefecture.