By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
A recent fire at an indoor shooting range in Busan that claimed 15 lives was initiated by sparks from stray bullets, according to the authorities Monday.
The conclusion came after analysis of recovered CCTV footage from the Nov. 14 fire that occurred at a shooting gallery frequented by Japanese tourists.
"It seems that flashes from the gunshots may have ignited combustible material in the shooting range, such as residual gunpowder, ultimately causing an explosion," Kim Yong-shik, head of the task force for the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, which is investigating the incident, said during a press conference Monday.
"Video footage shows that there was an explosion in front of one of the shooting booths, resulting in large amounts of smoke and flames."
The toxic gas from the fire in an enclosed space caused the deaths of many of the victims, the police said.
Besides repeated on-site investigations, the police have questioned witnesses and survivors as well as the owner and the manager of the shooting gallery.
Authorities have issued an arrest warrant for the owner and the manager on charges of negligence regarding safety measures.
The police said that it will seek legislative measures to reinforce the installment of safety equipment for fires at indoor shooting ranges, as on-site investigations have found the tourist spot lacked basic safety measures.
Former visitors to the shooting range observed that its sound-proofing structure had made it difficult for smoke to escape in the case of a fire. Tourists also said that the building was old, had low ceilings and poor ventilation, making it susceptible to fire.
The blaze started at around 2:25 p.m. on Nov. 14 at the shooting gallery, situated on the second floor of a five-story building. It was extinguished about 40 minutes later.
So far, 15 people have died due to the fire - 5 Koreans and 10 Japanese tourists.
The Japanese victims were visiting the shooting range on a group tour in Busan as part of a junior high school reunion.
Eleven Japanese visitors were at the shooting range when the fire broke out, including nine farmers and office workers from Nagasaki Prefecture.
The Korean government issued an apology for the incident and is expected to make due compensatory measures. The Japanese Consulate General in Busan is operating a task force to deal with the incident.
The Busan fire is the latest in a series of major fatal fires in Korea since 2000.