Another fire station official told AFP that the fire appeared to have begun somewhere on the ground floor, but he did not know the specific place or cause of the fire.
“We first received the report of a fire after a nurse who was inside the hospital rushed out and asked a taxi driver to make an emergency call,” he added.
Local media reported the fire may have started at a treatment room which had a laser device and thermal therapy equipment that used a water boiler.
Hours after the tragedy, Japan’s fire and disaster management agency issued administrative guidance to fire headquarters nationwide that officials check hospitals to ensure medical organisations are prepared for nighttime fires.
It also sent seven officials to the scene to probe the cause of the disaster, an agency spokesman said.
NHK quoted a firefighter as saying the building was already belching flames and smoke when fire engines arrived.
A 43 year old woman living in the neighbourhood told the network: “A lot of smoke came to the front door of my house and I heard shouts like ‘Help!’ and crunching sounds.”
A man who lives in the neighbourhood told private broadcaster Nippon TV that the ground floor “was red with flames and was filled with smoke. The part where beds were located seemed to be burning”.
He said he had seen some elderly patients being rushed out of the burning building, with ambulance crew performing heart massage.
Private broadcaster TV Asahi said around 20 fire trucks had attended the blaze.
Latest television footage showed dozens of police and fire department officials conducting on site investigations.
While Fukuoka is a fairly modern city, in common with other parts of Japan many older neighbourhoods have narrow streets, which the broadcaster said could have hampered access.
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