Dobong-gu Apartment 'Christmas Fire' Started from Cigarette Butt... 70s Male Suspect Detained and Sent to Prosecution

30s Father Who Tried to Save Child Dies

Regarding the fire that occurred at an apartment in Dobong-gu, Seoul, on Christmas Eve last year, a resident in his 70s who caused the initial ignition has been handed over to the prosecution.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 15th, the Dobong Police Station in Seoul announced that they had arrested a man in his 70s, identified as Mr. A, on charges of arson and gross negligence resulting in death and injury, and sent him to the prosecution.

The police explained, "Based on the results of the on-site investigation and the suspect's statements, we have determined that the cause of the fire in this case was a cigarette butt smoked by Mr. A."

According to the police, Mr. A was arrested on the 12th on charges of causing a fire while smoking in his third-floor apartment on December 25 last year, which resulted in the deaths of two residents of the same apartment and injuries to 30 others, some seriously.

At the time of the fire, a man in his 30s living directly above Mr. A’s apartment jumped from the fourth floor while holding his 7-month-old baby wrapped in a blanket, resulting in his death. Additionally, the first person to report the fire, a man in his 30s living on the 10th floor of the apartment, was found in cardiac arrest on the emergency stairs and ultimately passed away.

During the police investigation, Mr. A reportedly stated that he did not understand why the fire started despite having extinguished his cigarette.

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