A female kindergarten employee has surfaced as an arson suspect in connection with a recent series of fires at her workplace in the city of Osaka, investigative sources said Wednesday.
Last month, two suspicious fires broke out at Ikusei Kindergarten in Miyakojima Ward, although both were extinguished in their early stages.
The first blaze came on the night of May 16 when cardboard boxes stored on the second floor of the kindergarten building were burned. Some employees were on duty but no one was hurt, according to the police.
Then on May 30, another fire burned clothing stored in a warehouse on the third floor. This time there were pupils in the building but they were all evacuated safely, the police said.
Osaka police suspect that the woman, whose name has not been released before they file a formal charge, may have been involved in both cases.