Tragic Fire in Seoul Claims Two Lives on Christmas Morning

A team of police and firefighters investigate a fire that broke out on Monday Christmas morning at a high-rise apartment in Dobong District Seoul. The fire claimed the lives of two people while injuring nearly 30 people. [YONHAP]

The fire that broke out on Christmas morning in Dobong District, Seoul, tragically claimed the lives of two men in their 30s. Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire may have been sparked by a burning cigarette.

According to the Dobong police, investigators discovered a cigarette butt and a lighter in a room on the third floor of the apartment where the fire is believed to have originated. These crucial pieces of evidence strongly indicate a likelihood of the fire being initiated by a cigarette.

Kim Sang-hoon, who is leading the forensic team at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, stated, “We have found crucial evidence at the scene, indicating a strong likelihood of initiating the fire.”

An extensive investigation involving 21 officials, including those from the fire department and the Korea Electrical Safety Corp., took place for over three hours, starting at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

The fire erupted at 4:57 a.m. on Monday in a 23-story apartment located in Banghak-dong, Dobong District. It took more than three hours for firefighters to fully extinguish the blaze.

Authorities suspect that the fire originated in a third-floor apartment occupied by a couple in their 70s, who managed to survive by jumping out. Tragically, two people lost their lives in the incident.

One of the victims, a 33-year-old man identified as Park, heroically sacrificed his life while saving his children. Park jumped from the fourth floor while holding his seven-month-old daughter wrapped in a bed cover. His wife and their two-year-old daughter managed to jump on a recycle bag set up by the apartment’s security officers. Although the wife sustained shoulder injuries, the two children were reportedly unharmed. Unfortunately, Park did not survive, succumbing to a fatal head injury.

The family had only recently moved into the apartment, having relocated just two months ago.

Another resident, 38-year-old Lim, who resided on the 10th floor, was found dead on the staircase of the 11th floor. Despite successfully evacuating his family, including his brother and parents, to safety, Lim tragically died due to smoke inhalation.

The fire resulted in two fatalities, nearly 30 injuries, and the evacuation of approximately 200 residents.

By Lee Ho-jeong [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]