Japan's historic Shuri Castle was on fire early Thursday. This became a ruined UNESCO World Heritage site.
The bright blaze did light up the night sky in Naha, the prefectural capital of the southern island of Okinawa. Firefighters battled the flames for almost 12 hours.
The fire started in the castle’s main wooden structure and quickly spread to the other buildings.
Three large halls and four other structures burned down and collapsed, a fire official said.
There were no injuries.
The castle is recognized as a cultural symbol of Okinawa’s heritage from the time of the Ryukyu Kingdom that spanned about 450 years from 1429 until 1879.