Six people were killed in a fire that gutted the first floor of a jewelry shop in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, on Sunday night, and police said Monday they suspect arson.
A 49-year-old resident of Tochigi Prefecture, who was seen fleeing the scene of the fire Sunday evening, was being interrogated for a possible connection to the case, police officials said.
The victims were identified Monday as Kimiko Arai, 49, manager of the Utsunomiya shop of Tsutsumi Jewelry Co., and five employees — Michiko Hori, 51, Namiko Matsuyama, 51, Shoko Asanuma, 22, Masae Tachikawa, 24, and Michiko Kuno, 41.
Before they were killed by the fire, one of the victims reportedly told her family that she would be home late because the shop was "having trouble" with a customer.