psychiatric
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry.
Initial psychi ...
clinic
A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care needs ...
located on the fourth floor of the Dojima Kita Building in
Kita-ku, Osaka
is one of 24 wards of Osaka in Japan.
Incidents and accidents
2021 Osaka building fire
Notable locations
Kita-ku, particularly the Umeda area surrounding Osaka Station, is one of the main commercial centers of Osaka. Kita-ku is also a fina ...
, Japan. The fire is suspected to have been started deliberately. Twenty-five people were killed and three more were injured, including the suspect.
On 30 December, the suspect died of injuries sustained in the fire.
Fire
On 17 December 2021, at 10:20 a.m. local time, a fire broke out at an eight-story building in Kita, a
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
of Osaka, Japan. The fire broke out in a psychiatric clinic that is located on the fourth floor, called Nishi Umeda Kokoro to Karada no Kurinikku (西梅田こころとからだのクリニック, ''Nishi Umeda Clinic for the Mind and Body''). The clinic primarily treats patients suffering from depression and
panic disorder
Panic disorder is a mental disorder, mental and Abnormal behavior, behavioral disease#Disorder, disorder, specifically an anxiety disorder characterized by reoccurring unexpected panic attacks. Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear th ...
, but also physical ailments, including
anemia
Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, th ...
and
sleep apnea
Sleep apnea, also spelled sleep apnoea, is a sleep disorder in which pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep occur more often than normal. Each pause can last for a few seconds to a few minutes and they happen many times ...
. The clinic had a counselling session at 10:00 a.m. local time for patients intending to re-enter the workforce. This session was the reason that so many victims were at the clinic during the fire.
According to two survivors who were at the reception desk, a man walked into the clinic carrying a paper bag, which he placed next to a
heater
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. HV ...
at the reception desk. He kicked the bag, spilling and igniting the liquid inside the bag, and the entire floor was set on fire.
Dozens of firefighters rushed to the building and the blaze was brought under control in approximately thirty minutes. The firefighters said that seventy fire trucks and ambulances rushed to the scene. Most of the exterior of the building remained intact, as the fire was limited to a 20-square-meter area. The department received a report on the fire at 10:18 and the fire was nearly extinguished by 10:46.
The victims gasped for air and had difficulties escaping, as there was only one escape route, with the emergency stairs and elevators being located outside the clinic.
Victims
Twenty-four people were confirmed dead at the scene of the fire, while four more were injured, including the suspect. Fourteen of the deceased were men and ten were women. The ages of the victims ranged from twenty to sixty. All of the victims were patients or staff at the clinic.
The four injured include the suspect, who was hospitalised in
critical condition
Medical state is a term used to describe a hospital patient's health status, or condition. The term is most commonly used in information given to the news media, and is rarely used as a clinical description by physicians.
Two aspects of the pati ...
with severe burns, two women who are unconscious and in critical condition, and a third woman who sustained minor injuries. On 21 December, a woman in her 20s who was in critical condition with cardiac arrest died at 2:50 a.m., bringing the number killed to 25. Two people remain in critical condition.
A doctor who treated some of the casualties told reporters that many of the victims, as suggested by their limited external injuries, died from
carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as "flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large e ...
. Osaka police also said the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.
Investigation
Police stated that they suspect that the fire was arson, and are said to be investigating further. Traces of a highly flammable liquid, most likely to be
gasoline
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
(petrol), were found at the site. Traces on the clinic's ceiling and the speed of the fire support the suspicion of arson.
On 18 December, police searched the suspect's house in
Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka
is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.
Education
It has a North Korean school, Osaka Fukushima Korean Elementary School ( 大阪福島朝鮮初級学校).
Economy
Nishoyodogawa has the headquarters of Ezaki Glico and Daifuku. Half an hour prior to the building fire, there was a small fire at the suspect's house. The suspect was 61 years old and a former patient of the clinic; he was later identified as Morio Tanimoto, a retired metal worker, and had been a patient of the clinic for two to three years.
Police stated the attack may have been a copycat of the 2019
Kyoto Animation arson attack
The occurred at Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building in the Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Fushimi ward of Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, on the morning of 18 July 2019. The arson killed people, injured an additional 34 (including the suspect), and d ...
, as police found an old newspaper piece on the Kyoto attack in the suspect's home. In November, the suspect purchased 10 litres of petrol in what appears to be an act of preparation. Following the Kyoto attack, purchasing petrol in containers requires an ID and an explanation to the seller. Tanimoto produced his ID and said that the purchased petrol was for his motorcycle.
In 2011, Tanimoto stabbed his own son in the head in an apparent
forced suicide
Forced suicide is a method of execution where the victim is coerced into committing suicide to avoid facing an alternative option they perceive as much worse, such as suffering torture, public humiliation, or having friends or family members impr ...
. He served prison time for this act.
Experts were surprised by the fire's high death toll. The authorities are investigating how victims became trapped and the floor filled up with smoke so quickly. According to officials, the building had no previous
fire code
Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce the destruction caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to prevent the ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the development and eff ...
violations.
A security camera in the building showed that Tanimoto tossed a bag, probably containing petrol, at the emergency exit. Tape is also believed to have been used to impede the use of the door. It is believed this was done so that clinic occupants would have a hard time evacuating. Investigators also found evidence of additional traps in the building. The suspect was found to possess a knife, and blocked a person who tried to run back towards the elevator. The victims, with the path to the exits blocked by fire, went into inner windowless rooms in the back of the clinic where they died.
Tanimoto was in critical condition due to
carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as "flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large e ...
and had
cerebral hypoxia
Cerebral hypoxia is a form of hypoxia (reduced supply of oxygen), specifically involving the brain; when the brain is completely deprived of oxygen, it is called ''cerebral anoxia''. There are four categories of cerebral hypoxia; they are, in o ...
, severe
brain damage
Neurotrauma, brain damage or brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating t ...
, and did not regain consciousness. However, police were working on evidence against him. On 30 December, he died in hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the fire. Police stated that he was rescued from the fire showing no
vital signs
Vital signs (also known as vitals) are a group of the four to six most crucial medical signs that indicate the status of the body's vital (life-sustaining) functions. These measurements are taken to help assess the general physical health of a ...
, and he was subsequently put on
life support
Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic ...
in hospital. The cause of death was recorded as carbon monoxide poisoning.
Reactions
Prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Fumio Kishida
is a Japanese politician serving as Prime Minister of Japan and president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since 2021. A member of the House of Representatives, he previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2017 and ...
said that "A very tragic incident occurred. First of all, we must make efforts to prevent a recurrence by grasping the actual situation and clarifying the cause and circumstances."
Osaka governor
Hirofumi Yoshimura
is a Japanese politician currently serving as the Governor of Osaka Prefecture. He assumed office in April 2019. He has been described as a conservative.
Early life
Yoshimura was born in the Osaka suburb of Kawachinagano. He studied law at Kyu ...
wrote that "The municipal fire department is investigating the cause of the fire. I have received a report that Osaka police is investigating the fire as a possible arson".
Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications
The is a member of the Cabinet of Japan and is the leader and chief executive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The minister is also a statutory member of the National Security Council (Japan), National Security Council, and ...
Yasushi Kaneko
is a Japanese politician who served as Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications from October 2021 to August 2022. He is serving in the House of Representatives as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Career
A native of Kuma Distric ...
ordered the inspection of some 30,000 buildings in Japan that have three or more floors, but only a single stairwell.
See also
*
List of building or structure fires
This is a list of building or structure fires where a building or structure has caught fire. For major urban conflagrations, see List of town and city fires.
__NOTOC__
Antiquity through Middle Ages
* 586 BCFirst Temple in Jerusalem burned b ...
*
Kyoto Animation arson attack
The occurred at Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building in the Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Fushimi ward of Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, on the morning of 18 July 2019. The arson killed people, injured an additional 34 (including the suspect), and d ...