In Gwanak-gu, Seoul, a fire in an apartment resulted in one death and six injuries.
The fire was extinguished in an hour and a half, and the police identified an arson suspect who was found dead at the scene.
Report by Shin Jeong-eun.
Flames and thick black smoke continuously erupted from the apartment’s balcony windows.
Around 8:17 a.m. today (21st), a fire broke out in an apartment in Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, and was extinguished in approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
[Eyewitness: Suddenly, someone shouted that there was a fire in another house, and while we were reporting it, there was a loud bang and the window blew out….]
The fire is believed to have started on the 4th floor of a 21-story apartment.
The police identified a male suspect believed to have started the fire with a tool resembling a pesticide sprayer. They confirmed that it was the same person as Mr. A, who was found dead in the apartment corridor by matching fingerprints.
The police are also investigating if Mr. A was responsible for another arson report received from a nearby location before the apartment fire.
As the fire broke out, residents urgently evacuated, with two people falling from the building. Apart from the arson suspect who died from severe burns, six others were reported injured by the fire department.
Other victims suffered from severe burns, falls, and smoke inhalation.
The fire department issued a “Level 1 Response” alert at around 8:30 a.m. and successfully extinguished the fire by 9:54 a.m.
The police and fire department plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire and assess the extent of the damage.
(Video editing: Choi Hye-ran)