At least ten people have died and dozens have been injured in a fire at an animation studio in western Japan.
Authorities say that at least 38 people have been injured, some critically, after a man started a fire at a famous animation production studio in Uji, a suburb of Kyoto.
Kyoto prefectural police say the fire broke out on Thursday morning at a three-story building of Kyoto Animation after a man burst in and spread unidentified liquid that set off the blaze.
The suspect, who is also understood to be injured and his in his forties, was arrested by police and has reportedly admitted to the crime, according to local reports. His motive has yet to be established.
The fire department said it began receiving calls around 10.35 am local time about the fire at the studio belonging to Kyoto Animation. The blaze was still burning two hours later.
Callers reported having heard a loud explosion from the first floor of Kyoto Animation and seeing smoke,’ a fire department spokesman said.
He said the fire department had dispatched 35 fire engines and other fire-fighting vehicles to the site.
Police said they were treating the fire as a suspected arson.
‘A man threw a liquid and set fire to it,’ a Kyoto prefectural police spokesman told AFP. NHK said the suspect had been taken to hospital after suffering injuries in the fire.
Footage shot from public broadcaster NHK’s helicopter showed smoke and fire damage on all of the buildings three floors.
Kyoto Animation was founded in 1981 and has around 160 employees. The company is understood to have offices in Tokyo and Kyoto, as well as a subsidiary Animation Do in Osaka.
Its productions are extremely popular among fans of anime, which is a style of Japanese animation with colorful graphics and fantasy themes.
The company has made numerous features and TV Series, including ‘The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya’ and ‘K-ON!.’
It is also responsible for producing Violet Evergarden: The Movie and a series of anime movies called Sound! Euphonium.
‘We are in the process of learning what happened,’ said a woman who answered the phone at the firm’s headquarters in Uji City in the Kyoto region.
‘We cannot tell you anything more,’ she added. News of the arson attack went viral on social media, with many people saying their thoughts were with the victims.
Kyoto Animation was established by Yoko Hatta and her husband, Hideaki Hatta, in 1981. The majority of the studio’s work takes place in the building that was set alight.
