Mother, son perish in Niigata house fire

An 80-year-old woman and her 55-year-old son died in a fire that destroyed their two-story wooden home in Shibata, Niigata Prefecture, police said Wednesday.

According to police, a passerby saw flames coming from the house at around 1 a.m. Wednesday and called 119. Seven fire trucks were mobilized and the blaze was extinguished about one hour later, Fuji TV reported.

On the first floor, police found the remains of the home owner, Mitsuko Kato, and her son Junichi. No one else lived in the house, police said.

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