Fire disaster hitting 3 foreign workers on Seollal... 'Arson possibility' also raised (Comprehensive)

On the 25th, police forensic investigators and detectives are conducting an on-site investigation at a house in Hyeonsan-myeon, Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, where three Thai workers were found dead.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] On the 25th, Lunar New Year’s Day, a fire broke out at a factory dormitory in Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, where three foreign workers inside were found dead. The police have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire.

The fire occurred at around 3:37 p.m. that day in a single-story house in Hyeonsan-myeon, Haenam-gun, where foreign workers reside. The fire was extinguished by the fire department within about 40 minutes, but two people were found dead in the bathroom and one in the living room.

The site of the fire was confirmed to be a dormitory for foreign workers operated by a nearby Kim factory. The deceased were two men in their 30s and one woman, all foreign workers of Thai nationality.

On the morning of the 26th, the police plan to conduct a joint inspection with the National Forensic Service to clarify the exact cause of the fire. An autopsy will also be conducted to determine the cause of death of the deceased foreign workers.

However, despite the fire occurring during the daytime in a single-story house, none of the physically healthy workers in their 30s were able to evacuate, raising the possibility of arson. There was no building collapse due to the fire, and the entrance door was open when firefighters arrived at the scene. Residents reported hearing sounds of fighting since the morning and said there was one more person besides the three victims.

The police plan to keep all possibilities open during the investigation. They are expected to identify the exact identities of the three deceased and secure surrounding closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage to examine the situation before and after the fire, concentrating their investigative efforts.