A passerby in their 50s who helped 'put out the fire'... turned out to be the arsonist

A firefighter is extinguishing a fire at a virtually simulated fire scene. This photo is not related to the article.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] A drunken pedestrian was caught by the police after setting fire to stacked items in front of a passing store. It was revealed that he even calmly helped the store owner extinguish the fire once it actually caught.

The Gwangju Bukbu Police Station announced on the 13th that they have arrested and are investigating a man in his 50s, Mr. A, on suspicion of attempted arson of an occupied building. Mr. A is suspected of setting fire to plastic pipe packaging stacked in front of a building materials store in Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, around 10 p.m. on the 19th of last month.

Investigations revealed that Mr. A used a lighter to ignite the packaging placed in front of the building materials store.

While fleeing after setting the fire, Mr. A suddenly turned back when the flames surged and helped the store owner extinguish the fire. During this process, the owner reportedly expressed gratitude to Mr. A.

Until the store owner reported the fire to the police, Mr. A was seen as a pedestrian who performed a good deed. However, during the police investigation, Mr. A was identified as the perpetrator of the arson.

The police are currently investigating Mr. A to determine the exact motive behind the crime.

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