Kyoto Animation fire: Arson attack at Japan anime studio kills 33

An arson attack at Kyoto Animation studio in Japan on Thursday morning July 18th, reportedly killed at least 33 people and left 36 others injured. 

The 41-year-old suspect shouting “You die” as he broke into the studio spraying petrol before igniting it, was also hurt and taken to a hospital. Though the motive of the attack is yet to be established, however it was gathered that most victims of the incident were employees at Kyoto Animation, which does work on feature films and TV productions but is best known for  “Free!”, manga series “K-On!”, the anime TV adaptation of “Haruhi Suzumiya” and “Violet Evergarden” which Netflix picked up in 2018.

Offering condolence over the incident, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described it as “too appalling for words”. About 48 fire engines have been dispatched to the area and are currently trying to get the fire under control. Firefighters found 33 bodies, 20 of them on the third floor and some on the stairs to the roof, where they apparently collapsed while trying to get out, Kyoto fire official Kazuhiro Hayashi said. Two were found dead on the first floor, 11 others on the second floor, he said.

Kyoto Animation, better known as KyoAni, was founded in 1981 as an animation and comic book production studio. Though it does not have a major presence outside Japan, it was hired to do secondary animation work on a 1998 “Pokemon” feature that appeared in U.S. theaters and a “Winnie the Pooh” video.