Kabukichō Building Fire

The Kabukichō Building Fire (Japanese: 歌舞伎町ビル火災) was a Fire that broke out on 1 September 2001 in the "Myojo 56 Building" (明星56ビル) in Kabukichō, Shinjuku, Tokyo. With 44 deaths, it was the fifth-deadliest disaster since World War II in terms of fatalities. The high number of casualties is attributed to insufficient escape routes. The cause of the fire is presumed to be Arson, but this has not been confirmed, and the perpetrator has not been found.

Overview

Of the customers and employees in the building at the time, 16 of the 19 people on the 3rd floor and all 28 people on the 4th floor, a total of 44 people, died, while 3 people who escaped from the 3rd floor were injured.

Because the fire walls of the bar¹ "Super Loose" (スーパールーズ) on the 3rd and 4th floors were left open,² the flames and smoke spread quickly, which caused the damage to expand. The fact that the cause of death for all 44 people was acute carbon monoxide poisoning supports this.

It has been reported that a fire had already broken out inside when one employee, unaware of what was happening, opened a door, causing a Backdraft (backdraft). This employee jumped directly from the emergency exit beside the street and requested an ambulance.³ In addition, two employees escaped across the roof through another window. The 3 people who survived on the 3rd floor, at the mahjong parlor, were employees who escaped through the office window, but despite being employees, they did not guide others in evacuating. Also, according to eyewitness testimony at the time, there may have been a "4th" survivor, but this person's whereabouts were never confirmed.

An automatic fire alarm had been installed, but it frequently malfunctioned, so its power had been turned off. In addition, on the 4th floor, the fire alarm on the ceiling had been covered with interior materials.

The media suspended regular broadcasting not only on the day of the incident but also on the following day, Saturday, and organized special news programs, giving the incident extensive coverage.