TOKYO - Tokyo police are investigating the possibility of a serial arson spree after six suspicious fires were reported within about two weeks in the same neighborhood of Adachi Ward, leaving an 81-year-old woman with burns and damaging homes, political party posters, a vending machine and a bicycle.
The latest fire was reported shortly after 5 a.m. on September 4 in the Chuo-Honcho area of Adachi Ward after a nearby resident called emergency services to report that a standing tree was on fire.
The flames spread to a two-story wooden house, burning part of its exterior walls. An 81-year-old woman who lived alone in the home suffered burns to her face and was taken to a hospital. She remained conscious.
A nearby resident said black smoke was already visible from a balcony before fire engines arrived. "I happened to wake up and could see black smoke before the fire trucks had even arrived. Then I heard the sirens, and the flames kept spreading. I could see fire on the second floor. Once the firefighters arrived, they put it out quickly," the resident said.
The fire was one of six suspicious incidents reported in the Chuo-Honcho neighborhood over a period of about two weeks.
In the early hours of August 24, political party posters attached to the wall of a residence were burned in two locations.
At around 3:30 a.m. on September 3, a wooden ornament outside the entrance of another two-story wooden home was destroyed by fire. A bamboo blind hanging from a second-floor window was also blackened, apparently after the flames spread.
The woman living at the property said on September 4 that the incident had come without warning. "I had never imagined anything like this happening, so I was simply shocked. If it was arson, I think it is terrible," she said.
A glass case containing a pickling weight and several planters were also burned.
Three more suspicious fires were reported during the early hours of September 4.
Shortly before 1 a.m., an employee at a nearby convenience store called emergency services after seeing a vending machine on fire. The blaze damaged the machine from its product collection opening up into the display section.
Shortly after 2 a.m., a cover on a bicycle parked outside a residence was set on fire.
The bicycle owner said a police officer patrolling the neighborhood discovered the fire at around 2:30 a.m. and extinguished it. The bicycle cover was the only item damaged.
Residents expressed growing concern as the suspicious fires continued. "It is frightening. I did not notice anything at all," one resident said. "I want to be careful, but there is not much you can do. I hope they catch whoever is responsible soon."
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the six incidents, including the possibility that they are connected and were deliberately set.
Source: FNN
