OSAKA — At least 27 people are feared dead after a fire broke out in a building in downtown Osaka, Japan, BBC reported.

Police are looking into the possibility that the blaze was deliberately started, said public broadcaster NHK.

Local media said the victims had suffered "cardiopulmonary arrest," a term often used in preliminary reports before a death is officially confirmed.

Footage showed blackened windows after dozens of firefighters put out the blaze on the fourth floor.

Rescue officials were alerted to the fire on Friday morning, and it was successfully extinguished 30 minutes later after it burned across an area of approximately 20 sqm (215 sq ft), said the local fire department.

The building is located in a busy commercial and entertainment district in Osaka.