An 80-year-old woman and her 11-year-old grandson died when their house was destroyed by a fire in Mino, Osaka Prefecture, early Sunday morning.
According to police and firefighters, flames were seen coming from the two-story wooden home of Shizuko Indo at around 12:15 a.m. Fuji TV reported that it took firefighters four hours to extinguish the blaze which destroyed about 450 sq meters.
Police found the remains of two people in the fire and have identified them as Indo and her 11-year-old grandson Haruto Nishiyama. The boy and his 52-year-old father had been visiting his grandmother, police said, adding the father was away at the time of the fire.
© Japan Today
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Badge213
Smoke detectors are not expensive and the other day I was shopping and saw a fire extinguisher for not much either. Got one next to my room, you never know!
madmel
Such a horrible horrible death. In our country smoke detectors are mandatory and prevent most of these deaths as people get the chance to get out while the fire is still small. I don't recall seeing them in Japan. I think carbon monoxide detectors are becoming a common item on residential leases as well. Both detectors can be had for less that $100.00....pretty cheap life insurance.
gokai_wo_maneku
Very depressing. Nobody really knows, but based on what neighbors said about the boy on NHK news tonight, I'd bet that he probably perished trying to save his grandmother, whose house he visited often.