“High-rise condominiums in Japan are subject to strict fireproof and fire-resistance standards, as well as regulations on alarm and fire-fighting equipment installation, so fires like that shouldn’t occur,” says Teruyuki Tsuchiya, an expert in condominium disaster prevention. It’s been one month since a high-rise fire in Hong Kong. In that fire, seven out of eight towers were engulfed, and 151 people died. This year alone, there have been many fire-related news stories in Japan, including a large-scale fire in Oita Prefecture and the largest forest fire in the country in Ofunato City. Fires in condominiums are no exception. According to the Tokyo Fire Department, even in Tokyo, fires on the 11th floor and above have been increasing as high-rise buildings become more common: 141 cases in 2022, 155 in 2023, and 178 in 2024—a clear upward trend. “In the Hong Kong fire, scaffolding made of flammable bamboo was used, protective sheets covering the condominium were combustible, windows had flammable polystyrene installed, sprinklers were not installed, and fire alarms did not work. The buildings were constructed and repaired without any thought to fire prevention. High-rise condominiums in Japan, however, are built with strict fireproof and fire-resistance standards, as well as regulations for alarms and fire-fighting equipment, so fires like that shouldn’t happen,” explains Tsuchiya, a condominium disaster-prevention expert with qualifications as a fire protection engineer and condominium manager. He says ladder trucks can reach only up to the 10th floor. So how is firefighting carried out on higher floors? “High-rise condominiums are equipped with standpipe systems from the 3rd floor to the top floor. Within the condominium grounds, there are inlets to supply water to the standpipes, and for floors 11 and above, hoses, nozzles, and other firefighting equipment are stored on each floor. In case of a fire above the 11th floor, firefighters supply water from the inlet. Firefighters themselves carry nothing and ride the emergency elevator to the fire floor, where they connect the hose or nozzle to the standpipe and carry out firefighting,” explains Tsuchiya. However, in reality, according to Tsuchiya, actual firefighting using the standpipe system is extremely rare. Even when fires occur, floors 11 and above are usually equipped with sprinklers, and small fires are mostly extinguished with sprinklers or fire extinguishers.