Police Investigate Fire at Foreigners' Accommodation in Haenam... No Flammable Materials Found Suggesting Arson

Three Thai workers died in a house fire in Haenam Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Chunsu] On the 26th, at the site of the fire at the foreign workers' accommodation in Haenam, the police, the National Forensic Service, and the fire authorities conducted an investigation of the fire scene for 2 hours and 30 minutes starting from 11 a.m.

According to the police, the fire at the foreign workers' accommodation in Haenam that occurred on the 25th is presumed to have started in a small room of the house, and no flammable materials were found inside or outside the building.

The place where the fire broke out was a single-story house, structured so that when you open the indoor door, there is a small living room and kitchen straight ahead, a small room and bathroom on the right, and a large room on the left.

At that time, Mr. A (31, male) was found dead in the large room, and Ms. B (34, female) and Mr. C (29, male) were found dead in the bathroom.

Although the fire occurred in broad daylight in a simply structured house, questions arose as to why the young workers could not escape easily, but so far, no signs of arson have been found.

The police confirmed, based on identification cards secured at the scene the previous day and statements from related parties, that they were illegal Thai nationals employed at a kim processing factory in Haenam through a broker.

Earlier, the police obtained testimonies from neighbors stating, "There was a sound of fighting from the morning, and one visitor presumed to be a foreigner came by and then left the house."

However, CCTV footage revealed that a foreign worker staying at another nearby accommodation mistakenly thought the fire was happening and evacuated.

At around 3:37 p.m. on the 25th, a fire broke out in a house used as accommodation for foreign workers in Hyeonsan-myeon, Haenam-gun, resulting in the deaths of three Thai nationals.

They had arrived at the Haenam accommodation on the afternoon of the 21st through a broker and were reported to have stayed in the accommodation without working on the 25th, the day of the Lunar New Year.

The police plan to conduct autopsies on the deceased to determine the exact cause of death.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.