Hiroshima:
- The bomb exploded over the city center, resulting in the complete destruction of buildings within a radius of about 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) from the hypocenter.
- Wooden structures and buildings with weak construction were completely flattened or severely damaged.
- Reinforced concrete buildings within this radius suffered extensive damage, with some collapsing or sustaining severe structural damage.
- The intense heat from the explosion caused widespread fires, which further contributed to the destruction and consumed anything combustible.
- Beyond the immediate destruction zone, buildings farther from the hypocenter experienced varying degrees of damage, with some sustaining partial damage and others remaining relatively intact.
Nagasaki:
- The Nagasaki bomb exploded over an industrial valley, leading to the destruction of factories and infrastructure in that area.
- Due to the topography of the city, the damage in Nagasaki was somewhat less widespread compared to Hiroshima, as the surrounding hills provided some shielding.
- The destruction zone in Nagasaki was approximately 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) in radius from the hypocenter.
- Similar to Hiroshima, wooden buildings and structures were completely destroyed, and reinforced concrete buildings sustained significant damage.
- The intense heat caused fires that contributed to the destruction and burned vegetation and materials.
Overall, while the atomic bombs caused immense devastation in the immediate vicinity of the blasts, there were areas that experienced less severe damage or remained relatively intact farther from the epicenters. The cities also underwent extensive reconstruction efforts in the following years, rebuilding and modernizing their urban landscapes.