A deadly fire engulfed the Kyoto Animation studio in a suspected arson attack that killed at least 33 people and injured another 36, Kyoto fire department official Kazuhiro Hayashi told the Associated Press.
Kyoto prefecture police said a man ran into the three-story production facility and sprayed an unidentified liquid that set off the blaze, shouting, “Drop dead,” according to the BBC. The suspect, a 41-year-old man whom police said was not a company employee, is among those injured and recovering in a local hospital.
Video from NHK News shows plumes of smoke billowing from the three-story building as first responders and firefighters combat the blaze and attend to the injured. Fire officials said about 70 people were in the building when the blaze broke out, the Associated Press reported.
アニメ会社で火事 ??’が人多数か “ガソリンまいたか” 京都https://t.co/dekElcwrhE#nhk_news #nhk_video pic.twitter.com/TNeEksWoLX
— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) July 18, 2019
【アニメ会社で火事 ??”れまでに??’人が死亡、35人が??’が、??”のうち10人ほどが意識不明の状?…???’
建物の中にはまだ複数の人が心肺停止の状?…?で??-り残されているという??…報があり、現在も??’出活動??’続??’ているという??”とです。https://t.co/dranQUspc4#nhk_news #nhk_video pic.twitter.com/8je9BMVIBT– NHKニュース (@nhk_news) July 18, 2019
Kyoto Animation is a popular animation and comic book production studio that has produced numerous anime shows and films that are widely known in Japan.
Founded in 1981, its popular titles include “Full Metal Panic,” “K-On!!,” “Sound Euphorium” and numerous features in the “Free!” series. Netflix streams the studio’s “Violet Evergarden” series to the global market. The studio’s nickname is “KyoAni” — an amalgamation of Kyoto and anime.
Though not widely known outside Japan, Kyoto Animation did secondary animation work on a 1998 “Pokemon” feature that appeared in U.S. theaters and a “Winnie the Pooh” video.