An early-morning fire in a hallway bathroom prompted evacuation of residents in a Yokota Air Base high-rise tower Thursday, a fire department official said.

No one was injured, he said, but an occupant in the unit above the one on fire was examined by a doctor.

The fire caused about $20,000 in damages to U.S. government property and $5,000 worth of damages to personal property, the official said.

The fire was in unit 2C on the second floor of Building 4006, a 9-story housing tower on the base’s west side. The fire department received the call about 3:55 a.m., according to Mark Lawler, fire chief, 374th Civil Engineer Squadron.

With no one at home, the fire had begun to spread. But it the building’s pipe sprinkler system controlled it until firefighters from Engine 12, on the base’s west side, extinguished it with a hose, he said.

Residents were allowed back in the building about one hour after emergency personnel arrived.

Several residents expressed concern about why the fire alarms did not ring on upper floors, a witness said.

Lawler said, “The high-rise family housing tower fire evacuation alarm systems are designed to alert only three floors: the fire floor, the floor below and the floor above.”

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