Elderly Couple Who Used Overlapping Heating Devices Without Turning on Boiler, Tragic Death

Heating product appears to have caused fire due to heat accumulation
Victim found dead in master bedroom, unable to escape in time

A fire broke out in a detached house in Namwon, Jeonbuk, in the middle of the night, resulting in the death of an elderly couple. The cause of the fire was identified as a hot water mat and an electric blanket. It is presumed that the fire started due to overheating from using the two products stacked together.

On the 3rd, the Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters reported that evidence was found inside the house indicating that the hot water mat and electric blanket were used stacked without turning on the boiler. The fire authorities estimate that the fire was caused by overheating of the two heating electric devices.

At around 5:50 a.m. on the 3rd, an elderly man in his 80s, Mr. A, and his wife died in a house fire in Sandong-myeon, Namwon-si, Jeollabuk-do. The bodies were found near an electric heating pad and an electric mat at the fire scene.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

When an electric blanket is placed under a hot water mat and a blanket is also covered on top, heat accumulates in the heating devices. This inevitably increases the risk of fire. However, the fire authorities plan to continue additional investigations to clarify the exact cause of the fire.

The house where the fire occurred was occupied by an 83-year-old husband with limited mobility and his 69-year-old wife, who has a severe disability. They were sleeping in the master bedroom and were unable to escape. The elderly couple had lived in the village for over 40 years. The wife, who was diagnosed with level 2 intellectual disability, reportedly had no interaction with neighbors. Instead, their son and daughter living in Namwon frequently visited the parents' house to bring food and medicine.

The fire was reported by a village resident. Early that morning, the resident heard several 'pop' sounds like butane gas exploding and called 119. However, by the time the fire authorities arrived at the scene, the flames had already spread throughout the entire house. While extinguishing the fire, the authorities found the couple who had died in the master bedroom due to the fire.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.