5-2-3-1Atomic Bomb Burns

Man with burns on his back
Mid-August 1945 Photo by Gonichi Kimura

The atomic bomb emitted tremendous heat in a very short time, which inflicted grave damage. The heat that reached the ground at the hypocenter is estimated at roughly 100 calories per square centimeter. People unshielded and directly exposed to that heat within one kilometer of the hypocenter suffered fifth-degree burns or worse; as far as 3.5 kilometers from the hypocenter, burns ranged from first to fourth degree.