Man Taken to Hospital after Fire at Yokohama Fireworks Festival; Blaze Occurred on Offshore Launch Platform

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:53 JST, August 5, 2025

YOKOHAMA — A man was taken to a hospital from the site of a fireworks festival after an offshore platform used for launching fireworks caught fire in Yokohama’s Minato Mirai district at around 7:50 p.m. on Monday.

According to the Yokohama Coast Guard Office and other sources, two of the eight offshore platforms caught fire during the Minato Mirai 21 “Smart Festival 2025” fireworks display. Five fireworks specialists were on board one of the platforms.

All of the individuals jumped into the water and were rescued, but a man in his 50s was taken to a hospital.

Although the festival was stopped, fire spread to the remaining fireworks, resulting in further explosions.

The festival is one of the city’s annual summer traditions and has been held since 2018. About 20,000 fireworks were to be launched over the course of 25 minutes after 7:30 p.m. on Monday.