Man sets lethal fire in Japanese anime studio

An attack on a popular animation studio in Kyoto, Japan, early Thursday killed at least 33 people. The 41-year-old suspect, according to local media reports, dumped a liquid accelerant on the floor of the three-story building housing Kyoto Animation and set it on fire, shouting, “You die!” Firefighters found 20 bodies on the building’s third floor and some on the stairs to the roof, where they likely collapsed while trying to escape. At least 36 others sustained injuries, with 10 in critical condition. More than 70 people were in the building at the time, fire officials said.

“There was an explosion, then I heard people shouting, some asking for help,” one witness told Japan’s TBS TV. “Black smoke was rising from windows on upper floors, then there was a man struggling to crawl out of the window.”

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tweeted he was left speechless at the “gruesomeness of the crime” and extended his condolences to those affected. Police detained the suspect, who was taken to a hospital. Authorities are investigating his motive, and witnesses who saw him said he was not an employee.

Kyoto Animation, known as KyoAni, was founded in 1981 as an animation and comic book production studio. The company’s anime series and feature films are popular in Japan.