Kyoto Animation Anime Studio Arson Attack Kills 23 - Hollywood Reporter

8:54 PM PDT 7/17/2019 by Gavin J. Blair

A man in his 40s was arrested and has admitted setting fire to the building with gasoline.

An arson attack on Kyoto Animation in Japan on Thursday morning has led to at least 23 fatalities and left more than 30 injured.

A 41-year-old man walked into the company's 1st Studio Building in Fujimi Ward, Kyoto City just after 10a.m. and poured what is suspected to be gasoline around the building before setting fire to it. The suspect, who is also understood to be injured, was arrested by police and has reportedly admitted to the crime. His motive has yet to be determined, but he is reported to have shouted "drop dead" as he set the fires.

The police have stated at least 23 people are dead and 36 injured, with others potentially still in the building. Around 70 staff are understood to have been inside at the time.

An explosion in the building, which is the main studio for the company, was heard nearby.

A fire department spokesperson said the received calls reporting an explosion on the first floor and later calls in which people said, "The fire is rising, help us."

30 fire trucks and ambulances attended the scene and casualties have been taken to multiple hospitals in Kyoto.

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, by producer Yoko Hatta and her husband Hideaki, has around 160 employees. It has an office in Tokyo and and a headquarters building in nearby Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a subsidiary Animation Do in Osaka, and is behind numerous features and TV Series, including K-ON!, Violet Evergarden: The Movie and A Silent Voice: The Movie.

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