A series of freak fires at sushi restaurants in the United States have been blamed on an unusual culprit: a deep-fried ingredient that, if not handled properly, spontaneously combusts.
Firefighters in the city of Madison, Wisconsin, say two fires at local Japanese restaurants earlier this year were caused by chefs deep frying flour to make a tempura-like coating called 'crunch,' then leaving it to cool.
Security camera footage from a restaurant showed the mixture combusting six hours after it had been left to cool.