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A tragic incident occurred on Monday (December 15) at Sauna Tiger in Tokyo's Akasaka district, where a husband and wife died after becoming trapped in a private sauna room that caught fire. The victims, identified as Masanari Matsuda, 36, and his wife, Yoko Matsuda, 37, were found unconscious near the door of the sauna room and later died at the hospital.
Tokyo police are investigating whether a faulty door handle trapped the couple inside. When firefighters arrived, the doorknob was found detached on the floor. The couple had reserved the sauna room from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the fire was reported at around 12:25 p.m.
Investigators also found that the facility's emergency alarm system was switched off, allegedly for two years, as reported by BBC. Despite the emergency button in the room being pressed, it failed to alert the staff. A burnt towel inside the sauna suggested that it might have caused the fire by touching hot sauna stones.
Sauna Tiger expressed condolences and stated they are fully cooperating with the investigation. The facility will remain closed, and refunds will be provided to customers with reservations. The sauna had been operational since July 2022 and last inspected in April 2023, with no major deficiencies found, according to The Independent.
The investigation continues to determine the exact cause of the fire and the role of the faulty equipment.