We have to consider fire both by itself and as the outcome of an earthquake. Traditional Japanese buildings are wooden structures with wooden façades. They look quite attractive, but of course they are also quite flammable. Since they are usually built up in densely concentrated neighborhoods, fire engines generally cannot reach them to carry out firefighting and rescue work.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government conducts surveys every five years to measure the risk of an earthquake at specific city blocks. The risk of collapse of the buildings and fires caused by an earthquake are ranked in five levels as shown in Figure 9.9 below, and each city block is colored based on the scale.
To Be Continued
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