Husband and spouse die after getting trapped in sauna fireplace ‘because of defective door deal with’
A husband and wife died after a fire broke out inside their sauna room and they were left unable to escape because of a ‘faulty’ door handle.
Tokyo police are now investigating whether the handle prevented the couple escaping from the room at Sauna Tiger, located in the city’s Akasaka district, local media reported.
Investigators also found there was no power to the alarm system inside the room – and according to an employee had ‘not been turned on’ for the last two years, Japanese outlet Asahi Shimbun reported.
The victims were named as Yoko Matsuda, 37, a nail technician, and her husband Masanari, 36, who ran a beauty salon.
They were found by emergency services collapsed on the floor on top of each other, with their heads close to the door, after a smoke detector outside the sauna was triggered on Monday at around 12.25pm local time.
Both were rushed to hospital, but died later from their injuries.
Masanari was found to have burns across his body and on both shoulders, while his wife had burns on her right shoulder.
Neither of their injuries were though to be life threatening and an autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause of death.
A husband and wife in Tokyo, Japan, died after becoming trapped inside their sauna room after a fire broke out because of a ‘faulty’ door handle (file pic)
In a statement on its website, Sauna Tiger said: ‘We offer our deepest condolences… and our heartfelt sympathies for the deep grief and pain that cannot be expressed in words.’
Investigators told local media that there was evidence of a fire having broken out inside the sauna – a bench and the walls inside the room on the third floor were found to be partly charred, alongside a burnt towel.
Police are looking at whether the fire could have started after the towel touched the hot sauna stones.
Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department also said they believed the couple had become trapped inside the room after the fire broke out.
According to the police, when firefighters arrived they found the door handle detached and lying on the floor, which would have prevented it from opening.
There were also signs inside the room that the couple had tried to press the emergency alarm as the cover had been removed – but investigators found there was no power connected to it.
According to the Minato Public Health Center, the sauna first opened in July 2022 and was inspected in April 2023 – with ‘no major deficiencies found in the equipment’ at that time.
An employee told police that the device had allegedly been switched off ‘since around 2023’.
Sauna Tiger said it was cooperating with investigators and was taking the incident ‘very seriously’. The venue would remain ‘closed for the time being’.
