Arson suspected after 24 confirmed dead in Osaka clinic fire

Japan really has diabolical fire safety standards when it comes to buildings. Laws are often flouted and they get away with it until something like this happens. Shocking. My heart goes out to the families whose parents or siblings won't be coming home tonight.

Terrible news.

It goes without saying that so many people shouldn't perish in a building fire.

All buildings should have multiple escape routes, as well as sufficient space within them to allow people to move quickly in an emergency.

I hope that this wasn't a case of locked, blocked, or lack of escape routes, or anything untoward. It should, however be a wake up call to all other building owners to make sure their buildings are properly maintained, and as safe as possible in the event of an earthquake or fire.

27 dead even though it was mid morning? - those poor people had to be trapped somehow - fire escapes blocked or locked possibly.

This building also hosts an English Conversation School at a lower floor.

What does this piece of information have to do with anything?

The comment made me check the building in the picture closer, and sure enough I used to work there. Which then led me to check on my friends and co-workers who are still there (nobody from the school was affected). Rob, please reconsider you attitude, you're not being cool.

Didou, thanks for giving that information.

What does this piece of information have to do with anything?

Well, this piece of information was reported in the local media. And this site is viewed by many English Teachers ( I am not one) who might be interested in this piece of information. Some teachers might be part of the affected people. That’s it.

It has nothing to do with the fire itself, but you know, many useless information are reported in the news

Again, no requirement for a sprinkler system brings disaster. The Myojo 56 building fire

in Kabukicho, the Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building fire, etc.

Well Japan have really poor fire standards especially in the older buildings, often times the stairs are either locked or completely blocked off with people using it as a storage area. Even in modern office buildings, stairs to the 1st floor exit is generally locked and you can only exit via the elevators. I generally have no idea how an evacuation could work with so many stair doors locked up.

In my old apartment, the stairs are generally unusable, with boxes and various things always stacked up in the stairs and you would need to step over many things in order to cross.

fire escapes blocked or locked possibly.

This seems to be some bizarre pan-Asian/East Asian phenomenon. From Japan to Korea, Taiwan, etc. I've noticed that fire escapes are routinely locked, blocked or layouts are designed to make accessing them slow and difficult.

I really do not get it.

So tragic..

Japan must improve building's safety standars for fire..

I am an ex-firefighter. Many of the individuals expired from cardiac arrest - an indication they were asphyxiated. Which is the cause of 70% of deaths in structural fires.

The lack of sprinkler systems, fire escapes & exits is inexcusable. Fire extinguishers seem to be lacking, even in restaurants - let alone other places of business.

This is incredibly sad and tragic.

There was a fire, recently, in my neighborhood. The response and actions by the fire department were impressive. Excellent response time, highly professional and polished.

20 people were inside the clinic according to some reports. And an arson is also suspected.

This building also hosts an English Conversation School at a lower floor.

A tragedy.

Poor people. How was there not a fire escape for them?

Lots of Japanese, are on edge psychologically, this person may not know why he did what he did, but that still no excuse, lots people are mentally in a deprave state of mind

Unconfirmed but local source says the 4th floor also houses a ‘mental health’ clinic.

News just in. The perp responsible for this heinous act is currently one of the hospitalized. Once he recovers, I hope they throw the book at him

Sad news and horrible way to die.

Ive noticed here in Japan that even tho many houses and apartments have fire extinguishers but ive never seen any that have dated tags that routinely inspect and maintain the extinguishers to check they actually work.

Fire safety and prevention.

Tragic. All over the news in the U.S., India and abroad since 11am JST.

Since this floor housed a mental clinic dealing with psychiatric patients, I'm guessing that the first suspects will be one of the patients.

I've often thought what a death-trap some of these buildings are in Japan. Always make sure you know how to get out of somewhere in an emergency.

Years ago, such buildings would have a caretaker who would live inside the building, usually an apartment (with a rooftop garden) on the top floor. This led to 24/7 maintenance. This trend has been disappearing over the years.

The building only has one set of stairs, to the front left as you look at it from the outside. There is no other fire escape. Also, the building is narrow left to right, but goes very far back, that's why so many people were trapped. He started the fire at the only exit point, the people had nowhere to go. Just terrible.

Apparently most of them died not from the fire per se, but from smoke and carbon monoxide poisoning.

I already don’t understand how they can ever manage to pack those 28 people , staff and patients , into a psychiatric hospital of 25 square meters. No need to tell me that it probably was a bit bigger, let’s say 40 , 60 or 75 m2, I know that and it doesn’t change anything, but maybe it explains why that ‘customer’ got really aggressive and crazed and no one there could escape in time.

A SAD weekend in many homes in Osaka, RIP.

As others have pointed out, there seems to be a real fire hazard in buildings that are just under the safety code.

I have a hunch that it has something to do with the ownership of these buildings and the ties to politicians or even organized crime. "It would cost too much money to install sprinkler systems or fire escapes" is a likely excuse and so city council doesn't mandate any changes. After the Kobe earthquake in 1994, new buildings had to follow strict structural requirements. However, for fire safety, not much has been done and its all over Japan that you see these tall narrow buildings (many with Izakayas with hot grease burning kitchens) and every year there are over a dozen deaths resulting from fires.

looking at the building, the fire escape would have to be at the back, so presumably it was blocked by fire, or it was locked.

Looks like a language school on the 2nd floor and tragically named “LOST”(?) ‘medical salon’ on the 6th.

I noticed Japanese are not so concerned about fire safety. In some companies I visited they place boxes at staircase entrance. I once saw fire extinguisher was hidden behind the printer and some drawers.

The Osaka department said it did not confirm any fire protection deficiencies in the entire building, located in the Kitashinchi district known for bars and nightclubs, when it conducted a safety inspection in March 2019. Could the reason be that there was NO FIRE PROTECTION to confirm!

Given the number of floors and size of the building, it was not legally required to install fire sprinklers, and they were not actually installed, according to the department. WOW you would think that looking from the picture the building should have evacuation routes posted, with the capacity number of people allowed in each office. WOW not legally required to install fire sprinklers from what I am reading the only requirement was one way in and one way out!!! The building was a death trap like most in Japan, they have some of the most non exist safety requirements. When I go into an establishment I alway look for a way out in case of an emergency!

Here’s what we know locally at 12pmJST:

27 feared dead after Osaka building fire “Twenty-seven people are feared dead after a fire broke out in a building in Osaka on Friday, firefighters said. The local fire department received a report around 10:20 a.m. that a fire started on the fourth floor of the building located near JR Osaka Station. The fire was nearly extinguished by around 10:45 a.m. after burning across an area of approximately 20 square meters, the department said. "When I looked outside, I saw an orange flame in the window on the fourth floor of the building," a witness said. "A woman was waving her hand from the window on the sixth floor and seeking help."Another witness working at a nearby restaurant said, "I saw smoke coming out and there were a lot of fire trucks and ambulances. People were being rescued by a ladder truck. At one point, there was a power outage in the surrounding area." -

More information coming in :

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14504354

5 confirmed dead

fire likely to have ignited by the entrance so people within the clinic were unable to leave

all the people found unconscious were on the 4th floor

My condolences and wish for recovery to all the affected.

The comment made me check the building in the picture closer, and sure enough I used to work there. 

Any recollection about the fire escape?

Did the arsonist use an accelerant or is it normal to burn this easily?

@lolozo79

Good news. I hope the others recover too.

I wonder what this one’s Excuse is

I understand the fire codes were followed. But you can't really blame them (so much) since they are inked for accidental fires and not someone who has a plan for mass murder with an accelerant. Like the World Trade Center, those buildings had sprinklers but with the accelerant (the jet fuel) it would have been like peeing in a big camp fire to try to put it out. You want to make every single building in Japan safe from arsonists with accelerant? Is that really feasible? What are some constructive solutions to this?

Like nishikat, I wonder how good a regular sprinkler system spraying water would be if someone has just thrown gasoline all over a reception area with sofas etc. As with KyoAni, how fast would the whole building fill with toxic smoke?

If the perp is still alive, I hope the "I did it as a protest and didn't mean to kill lots of people" defence is thrown out straight away in the most public way possible.

The entrance and exit area of the clinic was severely burned and there is a possibility that many people who were inside could not escape, according to the police.

Meaning the entrance and exit were the same? That sounds like terrible design.

This is a tragedy. Poor folks. And yes, suspected arson according the local news. God have mercy.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20211217/k10013391971000.html

Good on the EMT! Really hope they pull through.

Tragic. I’m working in a building just across Yotsubashi-suji from the scene, so I saw things unfold on my way to work and from a window before I started work. Smelled the smoke, saw an EMT giving CPR to someone,

This is tragic and could have been handled with no loss of life. I passed by a couple of hours after, and wondered what all the hullabaloo was about. The police, fire department, and press were all over the place. RIP to the unfortunate victims. I hope the arsonist is caught.

24 confirmed dead.

My god, what a tragedy.

This is a freaking massacre.

Looking at the little building squashed in between a few larger ones it’s unlikely there was a adequate fire escape, if any. Fire safety is something that is not common in older buildings in Japan. I’ll bet they didn’t have extinguishers and/or training on the correct use either. A sad end to a day at work for a lot of people and their families.

Wow!

I am just down the road from there…

Rest in Peace to these poor people.

It certainly seems like arson to me. I expect this will be confirmed later today.

I hope they catch who ever did this. Japan really does seem to becoming less safe.

Japan has worse health and safety standards than developing countries when it comes to this kind of thing! Absolutely avoidable tragedy but nothing will be done and the 1000s of buildings without escapes or sprinkler systems will wait for the same thing to happen again!

It was a mental health clinic with a seminar in progress. One of the clients (former or current unknown) had issues with the owner/boss.

also unknown if he /she died as well in the fire.

extremely sad!

28 rescued.

24 dead.

4 survived.

Namu!

The fire apparently started in a medical clinic on the fourth floor. The website of the clinic says it provides psychosomatic and psychiatric treatments.

Horrible incident. I wonder if the "psychiatric" has something to do with it.

Well, it has been hours, are they dead or?

This building also hosts an English Conversation School at a lower floor.

What does this piece of information have to do with anything?