Blaze destroys hall at Daigoji Temple in Kyoto

The wooden Junteido "kannondo" hall and an adjacent rest house at Daigoji Temple in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, were destroyed in a fire early Sunday, officials said.

No one was injured.

According to the temple, the fire broke out soon after lightning knocked out power at the temple at around 11 p.m. Saturday.

The Yamashina Police Station suspects the cause of the fire may have been the lightning.

According to the police, two monks staying near Junteido hall, where the statutes of Kannon were placed, spotted the fire at around midnight.

Because the hall is located in a mountainous area, cell phones do not work there. They had to walk down to the nearest phone to call the authorities.

The temple was hit by lightning July 28, and one of the pillars of its Chinese gate suffered some cracks.

Daigoji Temple was registered on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1994.