Kyoto Animation Provides Hopeful Update on Injured Employees

Earlier this Summer, Kyoto Animation was the victim of a tragic arson which brought on a fire that resulted in the loss of staff members, and several others were injured as a result. As the staff have begun returning to work, and some releases have been delayed, fans have been anxious as to the state of those who had been hospitalized after the tragic fire. But a recent update from the Kyodo news service in Japan has confirmed that the 34 hospitalized staff members are thankfully no longer in life-threatening condition.

According to the report (via Anime News Network), a source close to the investigation has told Kyodo that while some victims with severe burns remain in intensive care, all of the injured victims are still progressing well toward recovery. While authorities are still investigating the case, fans have been supporting the studio in droves.

On July 18th at around 10:30 AM JST, Kyoto Animation's 1st Studio was struck by a tragic fire. Reports have indicated that the fire has resulted in over 30 casualties, and over 30 injured as of this writing. With 30 fire engines responding to the fire, firefighters were able to completely extinguish the fire five hours after in began. The fire is reportedly being investigated as an arson, and the suspect responsible has reportedly been identified and their potential motive has been revealed. Kyoto Animation president Hideaki Hatta is also considering erecting a memorial park in the place of the tragedy.

The victims identities' have been slowly revealed as their families have given permission, but some are still being kept hidden from the public. The investigation has revealed that there were a total of 70 people inside of Kyoto Animation's 1st Studio building at the time of the incident. The fire claimed the lives of 35 victims in total, but the survivors are still struggling with the events of the arson.

There have been a few copycat incidents in which companies have been threatened in very much the same way, but those behind the threats have been arrested before reaching a more threatening stage. Support has been flooding behind the fan-favorite production studio from others in the anime industry, fans, and studios alike. But this tragedy has been a huge mark on 2019, and the impact of it will likely be felt for years to come.