Cake shop fire in Motosu City, Gifu Prefecture, portable can found in ruins

Prefectural police have learned that a canister containing liquid fuel was found in the remains of a fire that killed and injured five people at a cake shop in Motosu City, Gifu Prefecture. Prefectural police are investigating the connection, as a woman who was in the store at the time of the fire made a 911 call stating that the store was "spraying gasoline."

Prefectural police are checking to see if components such as gasoline can be detected from the burnt remains. We will also investigate whether there was anyone near the scene who purchased fuel in portable canisters.

The fire broke out on the night of the 5th. Approximately 300 square meters of the two-story steel-frame store/residence was burnt. In addition to the bodies of two unidentified men and women found in the burnt ruins, a 70-year-old company executive from Mizuho City, Gifu Prefecture, was found nearly naked in his car in a store parking lot, and was confirmed dead on arrival.

Prefectural police announced on the 8th that the company executive's cause of death was scald shock due to burns all over his body. The unidentified man's cause of death was determined to be blood loss due to a deep stab wound to the abdomen. Prefectural police seized several knives from the burnt remains.

According to prefectural police, at the time of the fire, 10 of the students were in the building housing the cake shop, including the 66-year-old woman who runs the shop, as well as a company executive who was a different age from her. Prefectural police believe that a company executive may have been involved in the incident, and are investigating why he was at the scene and whether there was any trouble between him and the other 10 people.