Police have described the torching of Kyoto Animation, which killed 35 people, as the worst case of arson in postwar Japan. Given the shocking details of the attack that have emerged since July 18, it's certainly not hard to believe.
For me, the fire brought back memories of another blaze in Shinjuku's Kabukicho district on Sept. 1, 2001, that claimed 44 lives.
The blaze broke out in the four-story Meisei 56 Building, with firefighters suspecting that it may have been caused by a broken gas pipe near the staircase landing on the third floor.