crime

6 new houses under construction torched since Sept 12 in Tama

8 Comments

A new house under construction in Tokyo's Tama City was torched on Saturday night, the sixth such house to be hit by an arsonist in the area since Sept 12.

All the fires took place within a 1.5-kilometer area, police said.

Despite night patrols by police in areas where new houses are being built in Tama, the arsonist struck again Saturday, TBS reported.

Flames were seen coming from the house at around 9 p.m. Fifteen fire engines were mobilized and after about 90 minutes, the fire was extinguished, but the 100-square-meter new house was completely destroyed.

According to investigators, some kind of oil has been used to start all six fires.

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8 Comments
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Construction company didn't pay their monthly Yakuza hoken fees?

4 ( +6 / -2 )

15 Fire engines were mobilized and it took them 90 minutes? Did they just watch it burn?

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Fires, especially big fires aren't extinguished fast, it sometimes takes HOURS before a fire is fully extinguished. In the case of arson, accelerants and other things could have been used to case the fire to burn hotter and longer than a usual fire would.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Sorry Angel, you don't know firefighting. No other property was damaged. The fire did not rekindle. No one injured. All was done in 90 minutes. They did their job and did it well.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Japanese house fires, being built primarily of wood, go up fast. Last summer in my neighbourhood some guy threw a cigarette on a compost heap, within an hour 6 houses were beyond saving. It didn't help that it was at chucking out time at the izakayas & the locals turned up in cars to witness the scene, thus blocking the narrow roads. But still you couldn't get with 50 yards of the heat.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

A house under construction near us burned once, the fire was incredible. No doubt that things like paint thinner, as well as the lumber and wall paper piled and stacked inside, contributed to the force of the flames.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I wouldn't be surprised if the person starting these fires had his own house burn down... and might have been mad that the response time was too slow. Either way... if he isn't caught "red handed" it will take some detective work.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I wouldn't be surprised if someone in the neighborhood patrol set the fire

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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