Society

Saitama: Ex-employee sets bedding warehouse ablaze

Mar 11 (tokyoreporter.com) - Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a 21-year-old former part-time employee at a bedding warehouse in Kazo City for allegedly starting a fire to the structure on Thursday, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun

At around 9:00 p.m., Satoru Sunaga, allegedly trespassed into the warehouse of Nishikawa Sangyo and set cardboard on fire. The blaze was mostly extinguished about 20 hours later, after it consumed the entire 17,000-square-meter, two-floor reinforced concrete structure.

At the time of the start of the fire, the warehouse was unmanned. There were no injuries, according to the Kazo Police Station.

Sunaga, who has been accused of trespassing and arson, admits to the allegations. "I set the fire to relieve stress," the suspect was quoted by the Kazo Police Station.

Several days before the fire, Sunaga failed to arrive for work. After the fire started, a witness reported seeing him seated nearby and watching it consume the building. Police later took him into questioning.

According to Nishikawa Sango, the warehouse stores sheets, futons and pillows. The merchandise is distributed to retail stores nationwide.

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