At least three people were killed and two others remain unaccounted for after a fire engulfed an apartment building in the northeastern Japanese prefecture of Akita early Tuesday, police and firefighters said.

Of the 25 residents of the building in the city of Yokote, 20 were contacted after the fire, which started around 1 a.m. and left 10 people injured, the police said. The residents are aged between their 40s and 60s.

Two bodies were discovered at the site and a man was confirmed dead after being taken to a hospital, the authorities said. The fire burned down the apartment and three nearby structures before dying down about five hours later.

"The blaze was large and (the apartment) was filled with smoke with sputtering sounds," a 21-year-old man living in the neighborhood said.

The apartment is located about 1 kilometer southeast of JR Yokote Station.