Japanese police have identified a 61-year-old man as a prime suspect behind a fire that engulfed a mental clinic in an eight-story building where he was a patient, killing 24 people who were trapped inside.
Police searched the man’s home on Saturday and found the clinic’s patient card.
On Sunday, Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Yasushi Kaneko, who is also in charge of fire and disaster management, said he had instructed a nationwide inspection of about 30,000 multi-floor commercial buildings with only one stairway. Police quoted witnesses who saw a man walking into the clinic with a paper bag, which he put on the floor, right next to a heater by the reception desk, and kicked it. Liquid poured out, caught fire and the whole floor was in flames and smoke.
The clinic without an external stairway had several compartments for consultations and workshops along just one aisle, with the main counseling room on the far end of the floor. There was no prior violation of fire prevention codes at the building, officials said.ADVERTISEMENT
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