Accidents - Disasters - Fires - Floods - Tragedies

Aug. 08, 1963 - £2 million store fire in Tokyo - Youth Arrests.: a 15 year-old boy has been arrested by the police for causing the huge fire which destroyed the 7th and 8th floors of the Seibu department store in Ikebukuro, a district of Tokyo, causing 7 people to lose their lives, and injuring 23 others. The boys is employed by a fumigation firm who were engaged in spraying the building with insecticide. He lit a cigarette and threw the lighted match on to the floor where the insecticide burst into flame, and caught fire to eight cans of gasoline which is mixed with the insecticide. The fire still blazed after 8 hours in which 70 fire engines poured thousands of gallons of water into the building ruining £2 million pounds worth of goods and property. Fire also damaged the heliport on the roof of the store, but the two helicopters managed to take off carrying some of the employees to safety. The store was closed at the time, for the day, preparing for the Autumn Sales. Photo shows Tokyo firefighters tackle the big blaze which gutted two floors of the huge department store causing damage of £2million

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