In one of Tokyo's worst fires ever, 44 people were killed early yesterday when an explosion and blaze ripped through a crowded mahjong parlor and bar in the capital's most popular late-night entertainment area.
More than 150 investigators began a probe into the devastating fire yesterday and authorities said they were focusing on a possible gas leak or an arson attack in the narrow building, located in the Shinjuku area of central Tokyo.
Fire experts interviewed by the Japanese media said that the narrow building, typical of thousands in Japanese cities, had only one small staircase illegally crowded with lockers. Windows meant to provide emergency exits in case of fire were covered by signs advertising the mahjong gambling parlor and hostess bar where most died.
The explosion ripped a large hole in the wall of the building and fire gutted the third and fourth floors, causing panic in the narrow, crowded streets in the Shinjuku district, popular for late night drinking and sleazy entertainment.
It was the worst such tragedy to strike Japan in more than 20 years.
"I didn't hear anything at first but then saw a man fall from the third floor, then smoke billowed out," a man at a nearby restaurant said.
As the scope of the tragedy became clear, attention focused on the reason for such a high death toll in a country with strict fire codes because of the devastating blazes that have accompanied major earthquakes.
"If the emergency fire hatches had operated properly, it would not have been this bad," a fire official told a news conference.
"The heat and the smoke were just too great. It was hot and cramped," he added.
Police said 32 of the dead were men and 12 were women. Twenty-eight of the dead were in the fourth-floor bar, which featured hostesses dressed in high school uniforms.
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