Kyoto Animation, one of Japan’s most popular anime studios, was reportedly set ablaze this morning in Japan. A man in his 40s was allegedly seen pouring a flammable liquid and setting it ablaze. He is currently in police custody.
At around 10 am, residents living near the studio called the police, saying there was the sound of an explosion and that smoke was emitting from the building, which is located in Kyoto’s Fushimi area.
Update: July 18 - 12:46 am: According to Japanese TV news, there are still people trapped in the studio and there are twenty people who are still unaccounted for.
Update 2: July 18 - 12:59 am: One witness said the suspect was screaming “die” as he lit the fire.
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Update 3: July 18 - 3:08 am: The Japanese media is now reporting that seven people are confirmed dead.
Update 4: July 18 - 3:30 am: An announcement scheduled tomorrow for Kyoto Animation’s new Free! movie has been canceled. [Eds Note: This update originally stated the movie had been canceled. It has not. We regret the error.]
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Update 5: July 18 - 4:36 am: Sixteen people are now confirmed dead, the Japanese TV media reports.
Update 6: July 18 - 5:18 am: Kyoto Animation CEO Hideaki Hatta told reporters that for the past few years death threats have often been sent to the company.
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Update 7: July 18 - 6:09 am: Fans have posting messages, expressing sorrow and offering condolences using a #prayforkyoani hashtag on Twitter.
Update 8: July 18 - 7:09 am: Twenty-five people have been confirmed dead.
[The original story continues below]
The building is Kyoto Animation’s No. 1 Studio, NHK reports. The studio’s head office is in Uji City, Kyoto, which is about twenty minutes away by car.
Sankei News reports that 38 employees have been taken to the hospital for major and minor injuries. ANN adds that nine people are unconscious. According to Kyoto Shimbun, one person is reported dead.
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Kyoto Animation is perhaps best known for anime like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star, K-On! and more recently, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and Free!, among many others.
Kyoto Animation, one of Japan’s most popular anime studios, was reportedly set ablaze this morning in Japan. A man in his 40s was allegedly seen pouring a flammable liquid and setting it ablaze. He is currently in police custody.
At around 10 am, residents living near the studio called the police, saying there was the sound of an explosion and that smoke was emitting from the building, which is located in Kyoto’s Fushimi area.
Update: July 18 - 12:46 am: According to Japanese TV news, there are still people trapped in the studio and there are twenty people who are still unaccounted for.
Update 2: July 18 - 12:59 am: One witness said the suspect was screaming “die” as he lit the fire.
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Update 3: July 18 - 3:08 am: The Japanese media is now reporting that seven people are confirmed dead.
Update 4: July 18 - 3:30 am: An announcement scheduled tomorrow for Kyoto Animation’s new Free! movie has been canceled. [Eds Note: This update originally stated the movie had been canceled. It has not. We regret the error.]
Advertisement
Update 5: July 18 - 4:36 am: Sixteen people are now confirmed dead, the Japanese TV media reports.
Update 6: July 18 - 5:18 am: Kyoto Animation CEO Hideaki Hatta told reporters that for the past few years death threats have often been sent to the company.
Advertisement
[The original story continues below]
The building is Kyoto Animation’s No. 1 Studio, NHK reports. The studio’s head office is in Uji City, Kyoto, which is about twenty minutes away by car.
Sankei News reports that 38 employees have been taken to the hospital for major and minor injuries. ANN adds that nine people are unconscious. According to Kyoto Shimbun, one person is reported dead.
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Kyoto Animation is perhaps best known for anime like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star, K-Oh and more recently, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and Free!, among many others.
The Kyoto Fire department confirmed that 13 people have died and more than ten people were found with "no vital signs" inside the building, which belonged to the Kyoto Animation Co.
In Japan, officials commonly use this term to signify victims have died but their deaths have not yet been officially certified.
Kyoto police said that a man poured what appeared to be gasoline around the studio and set it on fire. The 41-year-old suspect was taken into police custody.
Fire department officials said an additional 38 people were injured, with ten believed to be in a serious condition.
The fire broke out at about 10:30 a.m local time on Thursday (9:30 p.m.ET) and police said a resident reported hearing a sound like an explosion coming from the studio.
About 48 fire engines have been dispatched to the area and are currently trying to get the fire under control.
Footage from the scene shows thick smoke billowing out of the four-story building, which is located in a residential area several kilometers south of Kyoto Station, as firefighters worked to douse the flames.
Founded in 1981, Kyoto Animation -- known as KyoAni -- is based in southern Kyoto prefecture's Uji and produces animations and publishes anime novels, comics and books, according to its website. Among Japan's most well known studios, its most famous works include "Free!", manga series "K-On!", the anime TV adaptation of "Haruhi Suzumiya" and "Violet Evergarden" which Netflix picked up in 2018.
The company's philosophy as posted on its website includes keeping a "humanitarian" corporate culture and believes that "promoting the growth of people is equal to creating the brightness of works."
There was an outpouring of grief on Twitter Thursday with fans of the studio offering their condolences.
The Kyoto Fire department confirmed that one person has died and 12 people were found with "no vital signs" inside the building, which belonged to the Kyoto Animation Co. In Japan, deaths must be confirmed by a doctor before being officially announced.
Kyoto police said that a man poured what appeared to be gasoline around the studio and set it on fire. The 41-year-old suspect was taken into police custody.
Fire department officials said an additional 38 people were injured, with ten believed to be in a serious condition.
The fire broke out at about 10:30 a.m local time on Thursday (9:30 p.m.ET) and police said a resident reported hearing a sound like an explosion coming from the studio.
About 48 fire engines have been dispatched to the area and are currently trying to get the fire under control.
Footage from the scene shows thick smoke billowing out of the four-story building, which is located in a residential area several kilometers south of Kyoto Station, as firefighters worked to douse the flames.
Founded in 1981, Kyoto Animation -- known as KyoAni -- is based in southern Kyoto prefecture's Uji and produces animations and publishes anime novels, comics and books, according to its website. Among the studio's most famous works are "Free!", manga series "K-On!", the anime TV adaptation of "Haruhi Suzumiya" and "Violet Evergarden" which Netflix picked up in 2018.
The company's philosophy as posted on its website includes keeping a "humanitarian" corporate culture and believes that "promoting the growth of people is equal to creating the brightness of works."
There was an outpouring of grief on Twitter Thursday with fans of the studio offering their condolences.
The Kyoto Fire department confirmed that one person has died and 12 people were found with "no vital signs" inside the building, which belonged to the Kyoto Animation Co. In Japan, deaths must be confirmed by a doctor before being officially announced.
Kyoto police said that a man poured what appeared to be gasoline around the studio and set it on fire. The 41-year-old suspect was taken into police custody.
Fire department officials said an additional 38 people were injured, with ten believed to be in a serious condition.
The fire broke out at about 10:30 a.m local time on Thursday (9:30 p.m.ET) and police said a resident reported hearing a sound like an explosion coming from the studio.
About 48 fire engines have been dispatched to the area and are currently trying to get the fire under control.
Footage from the scene shows thick smoke billowing out of the four-story building, which is located in a residential area several kilometers south of Kyoto Station, as firefighters work to douse the flames.
Founded in 1981, Kyoto Animation -- known as KyoAni -- is based in southern Kyoto prefecture's Uji and produces animations and publishes anime novels, comics and books, according to its website. Among the studio's most famous works are "Free!", manga series "K-On!", the anime TV adaptation of "Haruhi Suzumiya" and "Violet Evergarden" which Netflix picked up in 2018.
The company's philosophy as posted on its website includes keeping a "humanitarian" corporate culture that values people and believes "promoting the growth of people is equal to creating the brightness of works."
1 person officially confirmed dead; 36 people reported injured
This is a developing story. ANN will update this article and will post follow-up articles as more credible and accurate information about the situation surfaces.
Japan's national news agency NHK reported on Thursday at 2:42 p.m. that, according to police, at least 10 people are believed to have died in the fire that engulfed Kyoto Animation's 1st Studio building earlier on Thursday. Police told NHK that "around 10 people" were found in cardiac arrest on the first and second floors of the building, and authorities have still been unable to get in contact with a number of people.
Police have not yet officially confirmed the amount of deaths, but have officially confirmed one death so far. Police also report 10 people as critically injured, six people as moderately injured, and 20 people as minorly injured.
In Japan, police do not confirm a death at the scene; instead, the victim must be transported to a hospital and a qualified doctor must first confirm the death before police can officially confirm the death.
NHK has also stated that, according to police, around 70 employees were believed to have been in the building when the fire broke out.
NHK stated 30 fire engines responded to the fire, and were able to extinguish the fire completely by 3:19 p.m. JST, five hours after the fire started.
The fire broke out at the building around 10:00 a.m. JST on Thursday. Kyoto Prefectural Police have already apprehended a man who supposedly used a "gasoline-like liquid" to start the fire, and are investigating the case as arson.
Kyoto Animation's 1st Studio building is located near Rokujizō Station in Uji City in Kyoto. Most of the studio's main line production takes place inside the building. The company also has a head office, a 2nd Studio building, a Tokyo Office, and the Animation DO building in other locations.
Update: NHK stated the Kyoto Fire Department put out the fire completely by 3:19 p.m. JST. NHK now report that police stated that at least 12 people are believed dead, but police have only officially confirmed one death. Sources: NHK TV report and website
![Illustration for article titled Fire At Kyoto Animation, Twenty-Five Confirmed Dead And Suspected Arsonist In Police Custody [Update]](https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--m_LrhNrX--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/ab9zrdhny0gjssk8kpdv.png)
Japan's national news agency