Japan: A massive fire caused the 600-year-old Shuri Castle, a world heritage site in Okinawa prefecture, to be completely destroyed.

The fire began to flare up at Shuri Castle in Naha City, capital of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan at 2:30 this morning and quickly spread to nearby buildings, local police said. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

Images circulating on social media show the main structure of the castle engulfed in intense fire, revealing the wooden frame before fully collapsing. A nearby temple also caught fire.

No casualties have been recorded, but people in the area were evacuated at the time of the fire. The fire brigade was immediately dispatched to the scene to extinguish the fire. By early this morning, most of the fire was under control, but there were still a few small fires still smoldering.

The Shuri castle complex consists of 5 separate structures, of which the Seiden temple is the largest and most ornate building. There have been no specific reports on damage of each structure in the fire.

The exact time to build Shuri Castle is still a mystery, but researchers say it was put into use at least from the 14th century and became the palace of the Ryukyu Dynasty, Japan in about 450 year.

Shuri Castle was almost destroyed during World War II after three days of intense US air raids, but was restored decades after the war. In 2000, Shuri Castle was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage.