Key Summary
- Police in Gwangju’s Buk-gu district said an apartment fire on the 11th appears to have started as an act of arson by a resident.
- A man in his 40s, identified as A, was booked on suspicion of arson causing injury at the apartment where he lived with his mother.
- A security guard in his 70s was found in cardiac arrest in an emergency stairwell and was taken to a hospital.
- One firefighter and 12 residents were also taken to hospitals after smoke inhalation.
Main Story
Police in Gwangju said an apartment fire in Buk-gu was caused by a resident who allegedly set his own home on fire. The Gwangju Bukbu Police Station said it had booked A, a man in his 40s, for investigation on suspicion of arson causing injury.
Investigators said the fire broke out at around 6:33 p.m. on the 6th floor of an apartment building in Unam-dong, where A lived with his mother. According to the police, he is suspected of deliberately igniting clothing items with a lighter while his mother, B, in her 60s, was inside the home. Police said B stated during questioning that her son had set the fire.
The blaze was extinguished after about 30 minutes. During the response, a security guard in his 70s was discovered in cardiac arrest in an emergency stairwell and was transported to a hospital. One firefighter reported dizziness and received treatment, and 12 residents were also taken to medical facilities after inhaling smoke. Police said A also received hospital treatment for smoke inhalation, though his condition was not described as life-threatening.
Authorities are continuing to investigate how the fire was started and the security guard’s movements before he was found.
Background
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Items Requiring Further Verification
- The case is attributed to police investigation findings and a statement reportedly made by the mother; these details remain based on ongoing investigation.
- The exact circumstances leading to the security guard’s cardiac arrest and his actions before being found were not explained in the source.