Ignoring Smoking Ban Broadcasts... Dobong-gu 'Christmas Fire' 70-Year-Old Man Arrested and Indicted

Smoking Indoors While Watching TV for 7 Hours on the Day of the Accident

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 brought to trial.

The Violent Crime Division of the Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Jae-hyuk) announced on the 3rd that a man in his 70s, identified as Mr. A, was arrested and indicted on charges of serious arson and gross negligence causing death and injury.

Mr. A was arrested on the 12th of last month on suspicion of causing a fire at his third-floor apartment in Dobong-gu, Seoul, at around 4:59 a.m. on December 25 last year by smoking a cigarette, which resulted in the deaths of two residents of the same apartment complex and caused moderate to severe injuries to 27 others.

According to the prosecution's investigation, Mr. A continued to smoke cigarettes in a room piled with newspapers and garbage bags, and left a cigarette butt with remaining embers before leaving the room, which led to the fire. The prosecution also confirmed that when smoke began to fill the living room during the incident, Mr. A opened the front door and room door wide, allowing a large amount of air to enter, which intensified the fire and expanded the scale of the damage.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The prosecution judged that Mr. A showed a lack of safety awareness by frequently smoking despite indoor smoking ban announcements made by the apartment management office due to fire concerns and disputes among residents caused by smoking. It was also reported that on the day of the fire, Mr. A continued smoking while watching Go game videos for about seven hours.

During the fire, a man in his 30s living directly above Mr. A’s apartment jumped from the fourth floor while wrapping his 7-month-old baby in a blanket and died. Additionally, a man in his 30s living on the 10th floor, who was the first to report the fire, was found in cardiac arrest in the emergency staircase and eventually passed away.

A prosecution official stated, “We will do our best to maintain the prosecution so that the defendant receives a sentence commensurate with the crime,” and added, “We will also make every effort to ensure the protection of victims, including guaranteeing the rights of the bereaved families and victims to testify during the trial process.”

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