Kyoto Animation Studio Arson

An episode of the Quirky Japanese Podcast podcast, hosted by Yuto Ito, titled "Kyoto Animation Studio Arson " was published on July 23, 2019 and runs 5 minutes.

July 23, 2019 ·5m · Quirky Japanese Podcast

Summary

A man called Shinji Aoba suspected of torching an animation studio last Friday. 33 people were murdered and 10 people are still in heavy injury in hospital. It marks the worst mass killing since a suspected arson attack in Tokyo killed 44 people in 2001. This was totally mental. Why so many people were trapped in the building? The building did not have any sprinklers or indoor fire hydrants, though it was not legally required to by the fire code, a Kyoto Fire Department official said. Kyodo News reported that 19 of the 33 who died were found on a staircase leading up to the roof from the third floor, with bodies piled on top of each other. Firefighters arriving soon after the fire began found the door to the roof was shut but could be opened from the outside, Kyodo News stated. Many people tried but failed to escape to the roof, fire officials said. Experts say they believe many died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The survivor, who was working on scenery and background on the second floor, said he first heard commotion downstairs and a female voice screaming. Then a loud explosion followed by a colleague running up the stairs, shouting "Fire!" An alarm went off. "A black mushroom cloud billowed up the stairs, perhaps within 15 seconds, then everything went black, like pouring black ink all over the place. I couldn't see anything," the man told NHK public television on condition of anonymity. He said the building quickly filled with "diabolical smell, something that would kill you if you breathe in once." He ran out to a balcony. "I had to decide whether to jump and get hurt, or die in the smoke," he said. Hot air right behind him, the animator jumped with several others. He ended up with an injured arm. The suspects Aoba arrived carrying two containers of flammable liquid, police said, quoting witnesses. He entered the studio's unlocked front door, dumped the liquid using a bucket, and set it afire with a lighter, police said. The suspect is the residence of Northern Tokyo. Nippon TV said He "seemed to be discontented, he seemed to get angry, shouting something about how he had been plagiarised," a woman who saw the man being detained told reporters. Police identified the suspected arsonist as Shinji Aoba who was taken into custody soon after the incident, NHK said. Japan’s architecture are known for the earthquake resistance. In this case, the building was vulnerable from the fire. When the big earthquake hit Osaka in 1995, the second biggest cause of death was fire. Journalist must research the fire resistance in the animation production company. If the fire alarm kept warning, it could save more life from this incident. https://apple.news/AFIaK1-n-Tsev6k3qiYYXeA

Episode Description