A fire at a Tokyo elementary school that injured 11 people is under police investigation for a possible link to laundry drying in a storage room. The teacher was using air circulators in the fourth-floor space, and an energized electric heater and power strip were discovered at the fire's origin, forcing children to evacuate dangerously through narrow window ledges.
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A fire broke out on Friday at Takinogawa Daisan Elementary School in Tokyo's Kita Ward, burning about 200 square meters and injuring 11 people. Police are investigating whether a teacher in her 40s who was drying laundry using air circulators in a fourth-floor storage room caused the fire; an electric heater and power strip with multiple outlets were found at the scene.
Why it matters
The fire forced children in a music class next to the storage room to evacuate through windows onto a ledge about 80 centimeters wide, resulting in two people fracturing bones from falls and nine others suffering smoke inhalation. The incident underscores risks when electrical equipment and laundry-drying practices are used in school storage spaces.
What to watch
Police are continuing to question the teacher as a person of interest. An examination of the electric heater found it was likely energized when the fire started, though whether it was actively running remains unknown; investigators found fibers stuck to wreckage that may provide further clues.
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