Man arrested for Dongdaemun arson

[Anchor]

A fire in a multi-family house in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, which resulted in 15 casualties three days ago, has been revealed to be arson.

The police are investigating a suspect who has been apprehended.

Reporter Kim Ji-sook has the story.

[Report]

A bright red flame is erupting from the entrance of the multi-family house.

On the night of the 12th, a fire broke out in the parking lot of a multi-family house in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, resulting in the death of one resident and injuries to 14 others.

[Lee ○○/Evacuated Resident: "The firefighters came up and put a mask on me and took me out. They were holding me from both sides…."]

Due to the piloti structure with only columns and no walls, the flames spread rapidly throughout the parking lot, and the ignition point is believed to be a cart piled with waste paper.

[Kim Seong-gon/Head of Fire Administration, Dongdaemun Fire Station: "We were dispatched to the scene after receiving a report from a passerby that the cart with waste paper was on fire…."]

However, it turned out to be arson.

The police, after reviewing nearby CCTV, identified that a man had set fire to the waste paper on the cart.

[Hwang Seok-jin/Evacuated Resident: "(In the past) there was no cart there. It wasn't there, but it has been placed there for about a month or two…."]

After tracking down the suspect, the police arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of arson and are questioning him about the motive for the crime, but it is reported that he denies the allegations.

The police plan to apply for a detention warrant as soon as the investigation is completed.

This is KBS News, Kim Ji-sook.