Yomiuri: 'A pillar of fire, then all went pitch black'
Survivors of the fire that killed four people and injured 12 at the Ishikari-tei izakaya restaurant in Suginami Ward, Tokyo, on Sunday morning have recounted their desperate escape from the dreadful blaze. "I saw a pillar of fire that spread [through the restaurant] in a split second. Then the restaurant went pitch-black due to the smoke," said a 60-year-old manager of a pub in the neighborhood, who said he had been drinking at the izakaya's counter for about two hours before the blaze began at 9.10 a.m. He said the blaze broke out as a cook was grilling skewered food in front of him and quickly spread after first setting alight a decorative piece of cloth hung from the ceiling. Ishikari-tei is located on the second floor of a multitenant building in Koenji-Minami in Suginami Ward. Open from 5 p.m. to 10 a.m., it served food at low prices and was always crowded early in the morning, according to some customers. A 27-year-old man who was dining in the restaurant when the fire began said he heard people shouting, "Put it out, hurry!" and "Get out of here!"
The man said he had rushed out of the restaurant as soon as he saw a pillar of fire burning in the kitchen. He said the corridor was so narrow that only one person could exit at a time, and he had rushed down the corridor with many others as they struggled to flee. "The lights went out and it was pitch-black with dark smoke filling the whole space," a 21-year-old woman said. According to many of the restaurant's regular diners, the restaurant had a down-to-earth feel, with hand-written menus covering the walls. The building accommodating the restaurant is located in the middle of Koenji Pal shopping arcade near JR Koenji Station, and is surrounded by many other shops, restaurants and live music venues. Ishikari-tei was usually full of diners who included restaurant and bar employees, and musicians who worked until late, according to some of the diners. "I'm sorry to lose a restaurant that was so popular it was sometimes full at six in the morning," a regular guest said. About 20 people as well as staffers were in the restaurant at the time of the fire. "I saw one guest sleeping in the tatami-covered area at the back of the restaurant," said one man who escaped the blaze. "I wonder if that guest is all right."
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2 victims there with colleagues
Two victims of the fire, Tsutomu Takei and Daigo Aketa, who had both been eating at the restaurant, were employees of an Osaka-based restaurant chain. According to the firm, Aketa, 30, managed its Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, restaurant and was known for his diligence. The company said that Takei, 31, an employee of its Suginami Ward restaurant, was a hard worker and was seen as likely to be given a leading role in the company. The company said about 10 of its restaurants' employees had gathered to eat and drink at Ishikari-tei on the morning of the fire after finishing their shifts. One employee, who manages one of the chain's restaurants, said smoke filled the restaurant before the first shouts of "Fire!" went up. The manager said he regularly dined at Ishikari-tei so he knew where the exit was and had run for his life through the darkened, smoke-filled room. He said that when he got out and realized two colleagues were still inside he tried to rush back in. "But the smoke was overwhelming, and someone told me, 'Don't go. It's too dangerous,'" he said. "Mr. Takei had worked hard to become a manager," he said with tears welling up in his eyes.
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Cloth ornaments unregulated
Experts have cited inadequacies in fire defense legislation as an important factor behind Sunday's fatal fire. Customers have reported that the blaze started in a corner of the restaurant where an employee was grilling food and ignited cloth ornaments hanging from the ceiling. The flames then quickly spread inside the izakaya. An Asian-style tent, several decorative lanterns and a short curtain were reportedly hanging from the restaurant ceiling. Under the Fire Defense Law, items including curtains, carpets and black-out curtains must be made from flameproof materials. However, there is no specific regulation for items hanging inside facilities--including ornamental cloths. Tokyo Institute of Technology Prof. Hideki Kaji, who specializes in urban disaster prevention planning, suggested the law has fallen behind the times. "A growing number of restaurants are putting up all manner of elaborate decorations," Kaji said. "However, some types of cloth emit toxic gases when they burn. The truth is that the law can't keep up with every eventuality."
The Tokyo Fire Department inspected the restaurant in April 2004 and identified several shortcomings, including the fact that the restaurant had not assigned a fire-prevention manager. The restaurant was considered to have improved its fire preparedness after the inspection and had not been checked since. In December last year, the fire department confirmed the building's common area was properly equipped with fire extinguishers, emergency exit lights and automatic fire alarms. The restaurant was not required to install sprinklers because of its relatively small 180-square-meter size. It had not installed sprinklers. Akihiko Takahashi, the president of Tokyo Building Ltd., which manages the building where the izakaya was located, apologized for the fatal fire Sunday night. "We're extremely sorry that people died or were injured in a building we manage," Takahashi, 54, said at a press conference.
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11-22-2009, 11:35 PM
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