"I think I forgot while cooking"...50-something dead, Suwon apartment fire starts in kitchen

Police investigating an apartment fire in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, where one person died on the 6th, have secured a statement to the effect that "the fire seems to have caught while cooking food."

According to Yonhap News Agency on the 7th, a fire broke out at 8:52 p.m. the previous day at the house of a woman in her 50s on the first floor of a 15-story apartment building in Hwaseo-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon. The fire was extinguished in about 30 minutes by the dispatched fire brigade, but the damage increased as smoke rose up the stairs due to the fire on the first floor.

Due to the fire, A was found in a toilet in his house in cardiac arrest and taken to a hospital, but he has yet to regain consciousness. In addition, a resident in his 60s on the 10th floor was found in cardiac arrest on the stairs of the 15th floor. B eventually died. In addition, 82 residents complained of breathing difficulties due to inhaling smoke. Among them, 62 were treated at the hospital.

A's sister, the first witness of the fire, told the police, "I was in the room, but I smelled something burning and came out and there was a fire in the kitchen," adding, "I think (my brother) forgot while cooking."

A fire broke out in an apartment building in Hwaseo-dong, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, on the afternoon of the 6th, causing a number of casualties.ⓒ Yonhap News

A's older sister reportedly left the house and rang the emergency bell in the hallway, believing that she had already escaped when her younger brother was not seen. However, the police said that they tried to enter the house again after learning belatedly that A could not come out, but the fire was so strong that they could not enter the house.

"Considering residents' statements and the fact that the area around the gas stove was destroyed, it appears that the fire broke out while cooking," a police official said. "We will check the details of the fire through an inspection." The police plan to conduct an on-site inspection jointly with related agencies such as fire authorities and the National Forensic Service in the morning.

Date: 2023-03-07

Reporter: 서화목