Around 8:17 a.m. on the 21st, a fire broke out in an apartment in Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, leaving 1 dead and 6 injured. Among the injured, 2 are in serious condition and 4 have minor injuries.
This apartment, which has 21 above-ground floors and 2 basement levels, is presumed to have had the fire start on the 4th floor. The exact cause of the ignition has not yet been determined, but the police suspect that a man in his 60s set the fire using a pesticide sprayer.
According to fire authorities, as of 9:50 a.m. that day, 1 person had died from burns in the fire. This apartment is a corridor-style apartment, and the victim was found in the hallway on the 4th floor.
2 individuals suffered full-body burns and fell from the 4th floor of the apartment, sustaining serious injuries. They were transported to the hospital. 4 individuals showed symptoms of falls, smoke inhalation, and respiratory distress.
Fire authorities arrived on the scene around 8:21 a.m., just 4 minutes after receiving the report, and began extinguishing the fire. They declared a Level 1 response around 8:30 a.m. The major flames were brought under control around 9:15 p.m., and the fire was completely extinguished by 9:54 a.m. A total of 63 pieces of equipment and 206 personnel were deployed for firefighting.
Nearby residents reported hearing an explosion when the fire broke out. A resident living in a nearby apartment, Mr. A, said, “I had all the windows closed and was in the (house), but it sounded like the ground was collapsing. I thought a bomb had exploded.”
Another resident, Ms. B, noted, “At first, the fire started in the left house and then jumped to the right house,” adding, “When the fire broke out, a woman screamed 'Save the people' for 5 minutes.”