Gigantor father dies after fire at Tokyo home

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Gigantor father dies after fire at Tokyo home


Cartoonist Mitsuteru Yokoyama, best known as the creator of the animation series Gigantor (Tetsujin 28-go), suffered serious burns and died after a fire broke out at his Tokyo home early Thursday, police said.

At around 6 a.m., a fire broke out at his home in the Chihaya district of Toshima-ku, Tokyo, and burned a futon mat where he was sleeping before his family extinguished it 15 minutes later, Tokyo police said.

He was rushed to hospital with serious burns and died late Thursday night. He was 69.

Noting that there were numerous cigarette butts in an ashtray in his bedroom, investigators said they suspect that the fire started because the artist failed to extinguish one of his cigarettes.

Yokoyama's 66-year-old sister who was sleeping in the neighboring room woke up after hearing a strange noise, and went into his room to find that his futon mat and clothes were burning, she was quoted as telling police. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, April 15, 2004)"