An explosion is believed to have occurred Monday night at a factory of Taiheiyo Cement Corp. near Tokyo, causing a car to catch fire in a parking lot about 50 meters way, firefighters said.

An official of the cement company said an off-grid power system on the premises of the factory in Hidaka, Saitama Prefecture, is likely to have exploded. Around 20 workers were at the factory, but so far there have been no reports of injuries.

A local fire department received an emergency call at around 10 p.m. Monday reporting the sound of a blast and a passenger car on fire.

Following the explosion, a forest near the factory also caught fire but the blaze was quickly put out, according to firefighters.

Residents around the factory heard a large explosion, with a woman who lives about 2 kilometers from the factory saying there was a loud noise and shaking.

"My daughter was on her way home from a cram school and was surprised to see something that looked like snowflakes falling," the woman added.

==Kyodo

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