[/floatl]Three people have died in a fire at Edo Castle soapland in Sapporo's Susukino entertainment district. Emergency services received a call from someone at the club shortly after midnight on Sunday reporting that there was smoke. Firemen who went to the scene found two young women and one man unconscious and with burns on the fourth floor at the top of the building. They were taken to hospital but died shortly afterwards. The fire was put out around 1:00am and it looks to have started on the third floor. The club, which has around 5 or 6 staff, usually closes at midnight. Local police say it has been in business for over 30 years.Japanese link

At least we know the guy died happy.
[/floatl]Well, the two girls were working there so only one of the three was a customer. That doesn't make it better but the fire looks like it took hold quickly. If it started on the third floor then there may not have been much of a chance for anyone to get up to the fourth floor. If they couldn't get up then it also helps explain why the three couldn't get down. One initial autopsy has pointed towards smoke inhalation as cause of death and that is probably true of the other two so flames were not the main problem. Reports say that there was particularly heavy fire damage near a fridge in a storeroom and faulty wiring is suspected to be the cause of the accident. There were heat sensors in the building which went off but it looks like no-one heard them. Fire investigators believe that they may not have been up to specification so there is a possibility that someone will be charged with professional negligence resulting in death.