The intense heat rays that came together with the explosion caused houses and all combustible material in the downtown area to spontaneously combust. In addition, fires spread which were started from kitchens stoves that were knocked over. From about 10:00 am until 2:00-3:00 pm, the fires reached a peak. They continued to burn strongly until the end of the day, covering the whole city.
Everything within 2 km of the hypocenter was completely burnt. All the ruins of the fires were melted together like lava and distorted due to the intense heat. The view in all directions was a scorched plain.
Scorched earth: Looking south from the roof of a building near Shimoyanagi-cho (presently, Kanayama-cho, approximately 1.21km from the hypocenter). With nothing to obstruct the view, a gas tank (2 km), Motoujina (5 km) and Ninoshima Island in Hiroshima Bay (10 km) can be seen.
(Around November 1945. Photograph by US Army.)
