A 19-year-old woman was arrested early Tuesday on suspicion of gross negligence resulting in the death of her 1-year-old daughter at their apartment in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo's Toshima Ward in a fire allegedly caused by a hair dryer, police said.
Police said the woman, a restaurant employee, allegedly went out without turning off the dryer before the fire broke out at around 11:45 a.m. Her baby, who was left behind, was found dead, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning.
"The hair dryer was not working well recently. I don't remember clearly if I turned it off or not," the mother was quoted as telling police investigators.