Everything About the Kyoto Animation Studio Fire That Killed 33 People

Yesterday (18 July 2019) morning, the building of a popular Japanese animation studio was set on fire by a 41-year-old man, killing thirty-three people. That makes it one of the nation’s worst mass killings, with the worst one happening back in 2001.

While details on why the man had attacked the building are still unclear, it’s alleged that the man was unhappy that his works were being plagiarised.

Here’s what happened.

Kyoto Animation Studio

Kyoto Animation Studio is one of the largest animation firms in Japan; established since 1981, the company engages mainly salaried employees instead of freelancers, so their quality has been consistent and popular among anime fans.

As one of the most popular studios in Japan, the firm has several locations in Kyoto, Japan.

Their main staff is housed in a building called Studio 1, which is located in Fushimi.

A few weeks ago, the company has received more death threats, and they have since informed the police and their lawyers about those threats.

It’s unknown whether the death threats had any correlation with this latest attack.

Fire on Thursday Morning

Yesterday morning at about 10:30 a.m. local time, a 41-year-old man walked into Studio 1 with 40 litres of petrol via a trolley, which comprises two 20-litre cans.

During that time, there were at least 73 people in the building.

The man then filled the area with the petrol, with several people being splashed with petrol. As he spilt the petrol, he was heard shouting, “Die!”

The man then set the petrol on fire.

He fled soon after, but an employee chased him and eventually, he was caught by the police.

At the scene, there were also multiple unused knives scattered around the area. When the man was caught, he, too, was carrying a backpack with knives.

The fire was only completely put out by 3:19 p.m., and the entire building was completely destroyed by the fire.

Victims

Thirty-three people died from the attack: five died from burns while the other twenty-eight died from smoke inhalation. As of this moment, thirty-six others were injured and ten of them are in critical condition.

That would mean that almost everyone in the building was either injured or dead.

So, why had the suspect carried out his attack?

41-Year-Old Man with a Criminal Background

According to reports, the 41-year-old suspect has a criminal background: in 2012, he reportedly robbed a convenience store and was arrested.

As he was also injured, the police have not questioned him about his motives.

However, when he was being detained, he allegedly told reporters that he had been plagiarised and was furious about that.

Donations to Victims

A GoFundMe crowdfunding effort was made for the victims and within 24 hours, it received over USD$1 million in donations.

As of now, the amount has ballooned to USD$1.3 million.

Governments all over the world have also sent their condolences.