World · East Asia & Pacific · 1 hr ago
Two suspected arson fires in Seoul injure 19; man arrested
Two fires broke out seven minutes apart in two buildings in Yeoksam-dong, a district in Seoul’s Gangnam area, on October 20.
The buildings were about 200 metres apart and both housed shops and offices, including patent law firms.
Nineteen people were injured, including five who were seriously hurt; one of them was taken to hospital in cardiac arrest, but regained breathing on the way.
Some people escaped by climbing onto the outside of a building to avoid the flames, and firefighters rescued them.
Police suspect arson and arrested a man in his 70s near Dongmyo Station; they say he had previously set a fire at one of the sites in 2022.
Police and fire officials are investigating whether the fires were connected, what caused them and whether the buildings’ fire-safety systems worked properly.
Two suspected arson fires broke out seven minutes apart in two buildings in Seoul’s Yeoksam-dong district, injuring 19 people.
Police arrested a man in his 70s near Dongmyo Station and are investigating the fires.
The first fire started on the third floor of Shinmyeong Building at 11:54 a.m.; the second began on the fourth floor of Hanyang Building at 12:01 p.m.
Five people were seriously injured, including one person who suffered cardiac arrest, and 14 were slightly injured.
The buildings were about 200 to 300 metres apart and housed patent law firms.
- Who
- Nineteen people were injured. A man in his 70s was arrested as a suspected arsonist.
- What
- Two fires, suspected to be arson, broke out in buildings seven minutes apart.
- When
- October 20. The fires began at 11:54 a.m. and 12:01 p.m.
- Where
- Shinmyeong Building and Hanyang Building in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul.
- Why
- Police suspect arson and are investigating the cause and any connection between the fires.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A fire was reported on the third floor of Shinmyeong Building.
A second fire was reported on the fourth floor of Hanyang Building, about 200 to 300 metres away.
The Hanyang Building fire was reported extinguished; the sources give different times.
The Shinmyeong Building fire was reported fully extinguished.
Police arrested a man in his 70s near Dongmyo Station.
- Injured
- 19 people: 5 seriously and 14 slightly
- Buildings
- Shinmyeong Building and Hanyang Building
- Fire interval
- 7 minutes
- Distance between buildings
- About 200 to 300 metres
- Arrest
- Man in his 70s, arrested near Dongmyo Station
5 sources
What people are saying
The flames rose so high that the window frames were burning, and people were hanging from the exterior wall.
When we arrived, citizens were hanging from the exterior wall, so we connected a ladder to a fire engine and rescued them.
Smoke started coming out of the office pantry as if there had been an explosion.