TOKYO - A 58-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a home in Tokyo's Adachi Ward on September 4, injuring an 81-year-old woman, as police investigate whether he was involved in six suspicious fires reported in the area over about two weeks.
The suspect, Kenichi Tsuchida, is accused of setting fire to a nearby home in Adachi Ward on September 4.
The 81-year-old woman, who lived alone at the property, suffered burns to her face and was taken to a hospital.
Tsuchida has denied the allegation, telling investigators, "I have absolutely no knowledge of this. I was just taking a walk by myself."
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, a vending machine near a convenience store in Chuo-Honcho caught fire shortly before 1 a.m. on September 4. The front of the machine was badly burned, exposing its internal circuitry and leaving it unusable.
About four hours later, at around 5:30 a.m., a fire broke out at a detached house about 300 meters from the vending machine. Around four square meters of the first and second floors were burned, and the 81-year-old resident suffered burns to her face.
A police officer on patrol also discovered a bicycle cover and other items burning outside another nearby home.
The fires occurred within a relatively small area from the early hours through the morning of September 4.
It was also learned that a storage shed at a home in the same area had caught fire the previous day, September 3.
A resident whose shed was damaged said the burned remains were still there and that the structure had been used for storage. "The flames rose about two meters. I couldn't believe it. I've never experienced anything like this, and I was just shocked. I was lucky the house didn't catch fire," the resident said.
Other fires damaged objects outside a home's entrance, a vending machine that partially melted and a bicycle cover.
Police have confirmed a total of six suspicious fires involving homes, vending machines, posters and other items between August 24 and September 4.
One resident affected by the fires said, "It happened so suddenly. I had never imagined anything like this and was shocked. It was terrible."
Residents of the normally quiet neighborhood have also expressed concern. One said, "It is frightening to have fires like this happening nearby. This is usually a very quiet residential area."
Another resident said the neighborhood has many back streets and narrow roads, adding that because it is a residential area, there are very few people outside late at night.
Police believe Tsuchida may have been involved in the series of suspicious fires based on security camera footage and eyewitness information and are continuing to investigate his possible connection to the incidents.
Source: TBS
