At least 33 people have died after a man burst into a Japanese animation studio and shouted ”you die” before starting a fire, according to officials.

Police say the blaze broke out at the three-storey Kyoto Animation Company studio after a man sprayed an unidentified liquid accelerant around the building at about 10.30 local time [GMT 02.30] on Thursday.

Japanese media reported the fire might have been set near the front door, forcing people to find other ways out.

Survivors said the suspect screamed “you die” as he dumped the liquid, which some people were splashed with, according to Japanese media.

Thirty-three people have now been confirmed dead, and a fire official said no one else was believed to be missing.

Firefighters found 20 bodies on the third floor, two were found dead on the first floor, and 11 others on the second floor. Some survivors were found on the stairs to the roof, where they had collapsed.

Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio Show all 16 1 /16 Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio A woman leaves flowers for the victims of a suspected arson attack at the Kyoto Animation Company studio building in Kyoto, Japan, which claimed 33 lives on 18 July 2019. AP Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio A woman sheds tears as she visits a makeshift memorial honoring the victims of Thursday's fire at the Kyoto Animation Studio building, background center, Friday, July 19, 2019, in Kyoto, Japan. A man screaming "You die!" burst into the animation studio in Kyoto, doused it with a flammable liquid and set it on fire Thursday, killing dozens of people in the attack that shocked the country and brought an outpouring of grief from anime fans. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Jae C. Hong AP Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio A fan of Kyoto Animation cries as she visits the area near the studios' building which was torched by arson attack, in Kyoto, Japan, July 19, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon KIM KYUNG-HOON REUTERS Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio Residents pray for victims of a fire which hit the Kyoto Animation company studio the day before, killing 33 people, in Kyoto on July 19, 2019. - Japanese police are investigating a suspected arson that killed 33 people in one of the country's deadliest apparent crimes in decades, with the motive for the blaze still unclear. (Photo by JIJI PRESS / JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUTJIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images JIJI PRESS AFP/Getty Images Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio Police officers move towards the Kyoto Animation company studio wwhich was set on fire killing at least two dozen people in Kyoto on July 19, 2019. - A suspected arson attack at an animation production company in Japan killed 33 people and injured dozens more, after a man reportedly doused the building with flammable liquid and shouted "drop dead." JAPAN OUT (Photo by JIJI PRESS / JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUTJIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images JIJI PRESS AFP/Getty Images Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio Firefighters work as smoke billows from a three-story building of Kyoto Animation in a fire in Kyoto, western Japan, Thursday, July 18, 2019. Kyoto prefectural police said the fire broke out Thursday morning after a man burst into it and spread unidentified liquid and put fire. (Kyodo News via AP) AP Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio Firefighters work at the Kyoto Animation building which was torched by arson attack, in Kyoto, Japan, July 19, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon KIM KYUNG-HOON REUTERS Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio KYOTO, JAPAN - JULY 19: A police officer stands guard next to the Kyoto Animation Co studio building after an arson attack, on July 19, 2019 in Kyoto, Japan. Thirty three people are believed dead and dozens injured after a suspected arson attack on the animation studio. Police were quoted by local media as saying a 41 year-old man broke into the Kyoto Animation Co studio on Thursday morning and sprayed petrol before igniting it. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described the incident as 'too appalling for words'. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) Carl Court Getty Images Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio Two men pay respects at a makeshift memorial site to honor the victims of Thursday's fire at the Kyoto Animation Studio building, background center, Friday, July 19, 2019, in Kyoto, Japan. A man screaming "You die!" burst into the animation studio in Kyoto, doused it with a flammable liquid and set it on fire Thursday, killing dozens of people in the attack that shocked the country and brought an outpouring of grief from anime fans. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Jae C. Hong AP Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio TOPSHOT - A firefighter investigates inside the building where over 30 people died in a fire at an animation company building in Kyoto on July 19, 2019. - A suspected arson attack at an animation production company in Japan killed 33 people and injured dozens more, after a man reportedly doused the building with flammable liquid and shouted "drop dead". (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe / AFP)BUDDHIKA WEERASINGHE/AFP/Getty Images BUDDHIKA WEERASINGHE AFP/Getty Images Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio Firefighters battle a fire at Kyoto Animation Company studio in Japan 18 July 2019. Police and fire officials believe the fire was started by a man who poured an 'unidentified liquid' around the building. Kyodo/via Reuters Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio Smoke billows from a fire at the Kyoto Animation studio in Kyoto, Japan July 18, 2019, in this still image obtained from a social media video. INSTAGRAM / @XRAY_RAIX via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT "INSTAGRAM / @XRAY_RAIX" NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram/@xray_raix via Reuters Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio People walk past images of anime characters in the Akihabara district in Tokyo on July 19, 2019. - The devastating apparent arson attack on a well-respected Japanese animation firm Kyoto Animation in Kyoto on July 18 which killed at least 33 people has left anime fans and industry insiders alike "heartbroken", with many likening the fire to a "terrorist attack." (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP) / TO GO WITH Japan-fire-animation-anime,FOCUS by Karyn NISHIMURABEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images BEHROUZ MEHRI AFP/Getty Images Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio Firefighters battle a fire at the Kyoto Animation Company studio building in Japan on 18 July 2019. Kyodo/via Reuters Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio A fire fighter watches an animation company which caught fire in Kyoto on July 18, 2019. - A fire at an animation company in Japan's Kyoto on July 18 killed one person and injured dozens more, several of them seriously, a fire department spokesman said. (Photo by JIJI PRESS / JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUTJIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images JIJI PRESS JIJI Press/AFP/Getty Images Kyoto fire: 33 dead in suspected arson attack at animation studio Overview of an animation company building which caught fire in Kyoto on July 18, 2019. - A fire at an animation company in Japan's Kyoto on July 18 killed one person and injured dozens more, several of them seriously, a fire department spokesman said. (Photo by JIJI PRESS / JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUTJIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images JIJI PRESS JIJI Press/AFP/Getty Images

A further 36 people were injured, including the suspect who was taken to hospital.

Police identified him only as a 41-year-old man who was not a company employee.

Most of the victims were said to be employees of Kyoto Animation, also known as KyoAni.

The incident is believed to be Japan’s worst mass killing since a suspected arson attack on a Tokyo building in 2001 which killed 44 people.

Offering his condolences to the victims, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe said the fire was “too appalling for words”.

A witness who saw the attacker being approached by police told Japanese networks that the man admitted spreading petrol and starting the fire with a lighter.

She told NHK national television that the man had burns on his arms and legs and was angrily complaining that something of his had been “stolen”, possibly by the company.

The witness also told the Kyodo news agency that his hair got singed and his legs were exposed because his jeans were burned below the knees. “He sounded [like] he had a grudge against the society, and he was talking angrily to the policemen, too, though he was struggling with pain. He also sounded [as though] he had a grudge against Kyoto Animation.”

NHK footage also showed sharp knives police had collected from the scene, although it was not clear if they belonged to the attacker.

An online fundraiser launched by Sentai Filmworks, which distributes KyoAni productions around the world, has already raised more than £190,000 for the company.

Footage on NHK showed grey smoke billowing from the charred building.

Residents in the area reported hearing what sounded like an explosion before they saw the smoke, according to the broadcaster.

A 59-year-old woman living nearby told Kyodo: “A person with singed hair was lying down and there were bloody footprints.”

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Fire department officials said more than 70 people were in the building at the time of the arson attack, but most of them ran outside.

Kyoto Animation was founded in 1981 as an animation and comic book production studio.

The company does work on films and TV productions, but is best known for its mega-hit stories featuring high school girls. The tales are so popular that fans make pilgrimages to some of the places depicted.

Company president Hideaki Hatta said: “My heart is in extreme pain. Why on earth did such violence have to be used.”