Escalator fire prompts evacuation at Sapporo Stellar Place shopping complex

Smoke from an escalator prompted the evacuation of hundreds of people from the Sapporo Stellar Place commercial complex connected to JR Sapporo Station. Fire services responded around 7:35 p.m. local time following reports of black smoke and a burning plastic smell rising from near the base of an escalator on the third floor. At least one person was reported injured during the evacuation, while the precise cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed.