By Jung Min-ho
Police requested a court warrant to detain a man who allegedly caused a fire to start in an apartment building in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, on Jan 10, which killed four people and injured 126.
The 53-year-old, identified by his surname Kim, faces charges of accidental homicide and causing a fire without intent, the Uijeongbu Police Station said.
After reviewing surveillance camera footage, police said the fire started after Kim pulled a key out of his motorcycle.
“Before pulling out the key, he used a lighter to warm the key hole. He probably thought the key was frozen inside the ignition of the motorcycle,” a police officer said.
But the small flame melted the ignition line inside the motorcycle, which created a spark and quickly developed into a fire, police said.
The blaze destroyed the building and burnt down other houses nearby. At least 225 people lost their homes in the incident. Many of them are staying in a makeshift shelter at a gym at Gyungeui Elementary School.
The Uijeongbu District Court will determine whether to issue the warrant today.