Sleepless City Consumed by Flames - Kabukicho Building Fire (2001)

Sleepless City Consumed by Flames - Kabukicho Building Fire (2001)

In the early morning of September 1, 2001, a fire broke out in the Meisei 56 Building, a multi-tenant building in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, killing 44 people and injuring three. The fire broke out in an unlicensed restaurant on the fourth floor. The emergency exit was blocked by luggage, the fire door was inoperable, and the fire alarm system had been deactivated. Smoke filled the upper floors at once, and people who had lost their way became victims one after another. At the time, Kabukicho was overcrowded and decrepit after the bursting of the bubble economy, and inadequate fire prevention management had become the norm. After the incident, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency conducted a nationwide survey, and the Fire Defense Law was revised in 2002. The Fire Defense Law was revised in 2002, making it mandatory to secure evacuation routes, inspect equipment, and strengthen penalties, and the fire prevention and management system for urban multi-tenant buildings was drastica
lly changed. This incident symbolized the "structural vulnerability of the city at night," and brought to light the dangers lurking behind the glamorous lights. The lives of the 44 victims provided an opportunity to reexamine urban safety awareness, and left a deep impact on disaster prevention administration in subsequent years.