Police apprehend arson suspect behind 2 building fires in southern Seoul
Summary
Police apprehended a man in his 70s in southern Seoul on Tuesday after two suspected arson fires injured 19 people. The fires began in two nearby Gangnam buildings at 11:54 a.m. and 12:01 p.m. The suspect allegedly fled by subway before being taken into custody near Dongmyo Station at 4:16 p.m.
Key Facts
- The first fire forced about 60 people to evacuate and injured 11 people, including one who went into cardiac arrest.
- Firefighters extinguished the first blaze at 2:20 p.m., while the second fire was extinguished at 12:35 p.m.
- Authorities dispatched 115 firefighters after receiving a report that someone had started a fire.
- The suspect was apprehended after police said he went on the run by taking the subway.
Firefighters inspect the scene at a commercial building where a fire broke out in Seoul's Gangnam District, Tuesday. Yonhap
Police on Tuesday apprehended a man in connection with suspected arson at two buildings in southern Seoul that left 19 people injured, officials said.
The man in his 70s is accused of starting a fire on the third floor of a building in Seoul's southern ward of Gangnam at 11:54 a.m. before starting another fire on the fourth floor of a nearby building at 12:01 p.m.
The fire at the first building forced some 60 people to evacuate and left 11 injured, including one in a state of cardiac arrest. Firefighters extinguished the blaze at 2:20 p.m.
Firefighters douse remaining flames after a fire broke out at a building, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
The fire at the second building left eight people injured before it was extinguished at 12:35 p.m.
Police took the suspect into custody near Dongmyo Station in central Seoul at 4:16 p.m. after he went on the run by taking the subway.
A police official declined to provide details as an investigation is ongoing.
Authorities dispatched 115 firefighters to put out the fires after receiving a report that someone had started a fire.
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