‘Ripped-off artist’ kills 33 in studio arson
Dozens of people were killed in a fire a when a man shouting ‘‘die!’’ doused an animation studio with petrol and set it alight.
Thirty-three people were confirmed dead in the blaze in the Japanese city of Kyoto. It was one of the worst arson attacks in the country’s history.
Police said that a man arrested at the scene admitted starting the fire and claimed that the studio, which makes cartoons for television and film, had ‘‘ripped off’’ his work. Yesterday he was said by police to be in a critical condition, having been caught in the fire.
The flames spread with explosive force through the three-storey building, blasting out windows and trapping many of its 70 occupants or overwhelming them with smoke before they could escape. Neighbours described burnt, singed and bloodied victims staggering through the streets after leaping from the burning building.
Among those confirmed dead were 11 people caught on a staircase leading to the roof. Of the 36 people reported to be in hospital, 10 were said to be critically injured.
Three were so badly burnt that doctors could not determine their sex.
The suspect was not named but was said to be a 41-year-old man from central Japan. One neighbour described answering her door to find him standing outside with his trousers still burning.
After extinguishing his clothes she saw him being questioned by police, to whom he apparently confessed.
Asked what he had done, he said: ‘‘I spread petrol and set it on fire using a lighter,’’ the woman told NHK television.
Asked why he had done it, the woman said, he answered: ‘‘I was resentful because they ripped me off.’’
Kyoto Animation, also known as KyoAni, is a respected producer of anime, the Japanese style of animated cartoon made famous in the West by films such as Spirited Away in 2003.
KyoAni has a reputation as a good employer with loyal staff.