At Least 33 Dead in Fire at Japanese Animation Studio
News 10:27 AM PDT, July 18, 2019 - MAYA CHUNG
10:27 AM PDT, July 18, 2019 - MAYA CHUNG
At least 33 have died in a devastating fire at a major anime studio in Kyoto, Japan.
Local media outlets reported that three dozen more people were injured in the blaze, with some in critical condition.
Footage from Japanese broadcaster TBS showed smoke billowing in the sky as the building burned Thursday.
The fire is suspected to be caused by arson. According to witnesses, a man allegedly screamed "You die!" as he entered the three-story building and started pouring a flammable liquid before setting it on fire, Al Jazeera reported.
The man has been arrested and was being treated at a hospital, according to reports.
Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, called the fire "too appalling for words" in a Twitter post.
Many of the victims were reportedly employees of Kyoto Animation.
"I am heartbroken," Hideaki Hatta, the studio's chief executive officer, told reporters, per Al Jazeera. "It is unbearable that the people who helped carry Japan's animation industry were hurt and lost their lives in this way."
The fire has since been extinguished and it remains under investigation.
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