A firefighter inspects damage at a senior citizens facility in Sapporo

Video. Fire kills 11 at a senior citizens facility in Japan

Eleven people have died in a fire at a home for elderly welfare recipients in northern Japan.

Eleven people have died in a fire at a home for elderly welfare recipients in northern Japan.

The fire broke out late on Wednesday night local time and quickly engulfed the three-storey building in Sapporo, on the island on Hokkaido.

Japanese media say that five people were rescued. The cause of the fire is under investigation.