Manager says he cut off fire alarm during fatal fire in Osaka

Tuesday 07th October, 06:22 AM JST

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kavikahi at 10:01 AM JST - 7th October

A bad idea and criminal action.
rjd_jr at 10:16 AM JST - 7th October

Yea Pukey I would have checked, but then again maybe I would not have. If an alarm sounds, I would at first just be calm and wait for a few seconds. If alarm continues or I hear commotion, then I'm leaving. If alarm goes off as if nothing, then I won't.

Yes in this case more people should have acted seriously but that does not absolve one bit this manager and his criminal actions.
xample1 at 10:17 AM JST - 7th October

The old man has no brains at all. Why does he have to reveal such a thing? Good work done..police. This time I'm on your side
soldave at 10:40 AM JST - 7th October

rjd - but if there's smoke coming into your room, then surely you would contemplate the possibility that something might not be 100% right, and that you should be doing something.

The fact that most people didn't in this particular report is probably what's most shocking.
fatloser at 11:25 AM JST - 7th October

The manager was a slopply-lazy-loafer who couldn't be bothered taking a short walk to see if there was a fire. Keep in mind he probably gets up at 4:30 or 5:00 anyway
bamboohat at 11:44 AM JST - 7th October

Re: Crowd behavior. If you read the book by Robert Cialdini "Influence" he goes into much detail both empiracally and pychologically about why crowds to the things they do. Very interesting. The only reason it 'seems' like a Japanese things it because they are so homogenous, the effect is perhaps a bit greater.

Re: turning the alarm of becuase you thought it was false. This happend on an flight a few years back. They turned off a warning light becasue they thought it was malfunctioning. It wasn't plane crashed. Anybody ever hear of the boy that cried wolf? who was at fault there? the boy? the wolf? the townspeople that didnt' believe him when it was real?

What is the solution? shut down all shops like this? routien fire inspections? fire alarms that only the fire department can shut off? or kill all potential arsonists are birth?
DanielM at 12:20 PM JST - 7th October

77 years old...!!! gosh Japan wake up!
flammenwerfer at 12:36 PM JST - 7th October

This country need a manslaughter clause in their laws. This old man defies belief and words.
Nippon5 at 01:21 PM JST - 7th October

Wow what can you say.... One guy starts a fire to kill himself (and doesnt die) and another turns off the fire alarm because it was noisy.. Both should be charged with Murder....
meanmutha at 02:20 PM JST - 7th October

daijubu... In case any missed the details. The victims were found curled up in a ball as if sucking a thumb(they could of lived if they acted)...more than likely a bit boozed up combined with the JN mentality. It explains their society clearly. I know in Boston muthas would of ran or smashed a window or wall. Adding was the 2001 fire with blocked exits and 40 dead, could of been prevented. Its all ok until you get robbed, attacked, hit by a car or attacked by teens with umbrellas in Japan. Ironically its safe as hell.
dennis0bauer at 03:11 PM JST - 7th October

The manager did the right thing he did not wanted to inconvinience the customers with the noise of the alarm.

That is probably what he will tell the court
thepro at 03:25 PM JST - 7th October

And the judges will say, 'suspended sentence. next'
dammit at 05:45 PM JST - 7th October

soldave at 10:40 AM JST - 7th October

rjd - but if there's smoke coming into your room, then surely you would contemplate the possibility that something might not be 100% right, and that you should be doing something.

The fact that most people didn't in this particular report is probably what's most shocking.

Maybe not so shocking - by the time smoke came under the doors the situation was too far out of control for escape for many of them. I only caught a glimpse of the way they partitioned it off, but it was a total mess of a maze. That bit was illegal too if I remember rightly. It was supposed to be offices.

Anyway, this old man was nuts. Switch it off if you want, but not without checking whether there's actually a problem! I don't care what the time is!

Having probs feeling to sorry for a bunch of men watching porn flicks in "private" though. Forcing myself to remember most of them only went there to sleep, and maybe didn't even put the vid in the machine. Either way though, they didn't deserve to die like that, without a chance.
Lowly at 07:44 PM JST - 7th October

Some people don't seem to understand some aspects of the situation.

Those kinds of video places and net cafes where you can very cheaply get a room with a reclingin chair end up being places for travelling business ppl, day laborers, semi-homeloess and homeless to stay for the night. ie all are tired from hard work (and maybe hard life) and possibly asleep or nearly so. Not there to get off on porn. That's a side dish for killing time.

Next, what kills you is carbon monoxide, which I believe has no smell and can fill up a sealed place like that even if you don't smell the smoke itself right away.

so sleepy or sleeping ppl, an alarm that briefly went off which you may not have heard, smoke you may not smell right away or smell strongly. But suddenly poisonous air.

Life is tougher the closer to the bottom you are.
bamboohat at 10:17 PM JST - 7th October

Well mr. Lowly, I surely hope you are correct in their method of death. If they just hit the sack and quietly drifted into the void, well I guess that ain't as bad as I had imagined, being grilled alive running around trying to find the exit.