High School Student Arrested for Setting Fire to Someone Else's Car After Throwing a Cigarette Butt into a Drain

Gyeonggi Yongin West Police Station Investigating Arson Suspicions
Cigarette Butt Sparks Spread to Vehicles via Fallen Leaves

A high school student who carelessly threw a still-burning cigarette butt while walking down the street, causing another person's vehicle to catch fire, has been criminally charged by the police.

On the 21st, the Yongin Western Police Station in Gyeonggi Province reported to Yonhap News that they have booked and are investigating high school student A on charges of arson. A is suspected of throwing a lit cigarette butt into a sewer near a building in Mabuk-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi Province, around 9:50 p.m. on the 17th of last month, which caused a Seltos vehicle parked in the pilotis parking lot of a nearby building to catch fire. It is understood that the remaining embers on the cigarette butt A threw into the sewer ignited nearby fallen leaves, causing the flames to grow and eventually spread to the vehicle.

Cigarette butts and trash are piled up in a storm drain near a subway station in Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The fire on the vehicle was extinguished by firefighters who responded to the fire report, but the vehicle suffered damage from the fire, including a melted bumper, resulting in property damage estimated at around 2 million KRW. After receiving a report from the vehicle owner, Mr. B, the police identified A as a suspect through nearby CCTV footage and summoned A and his parents this month to investigate the circumstances of the incident.

Mr. B posted CCTV footage of the incident on an online community the day after the fire, stating, "Three pedestrians were walking when one of them threw a cigarette butt, which seems to have caused the fire," and added, "The flames could have spread to nearby one-room apartments and officetels." He also mentioned, "My car’s black box did not detect any impact, so it is difficult to immediately identify the culprit," and asked for help from netizens.

The police stated, "A, who lives in another region, appears to have come to visit a friend and caused the fire by throwing a cigarette butt," and added, "We plan to send A to the prosecution soon."

Photo of a sewer fire posted on an online community on the 4th [Image source=online community 'Theqoo']

Meanwhile, on the 4th, a post titled "Called 119 because a sewer caught fire due to a cigarette butt" was uploaded on an online community, attracting attention. The author wrote, "Don’t throw cigarette butts. The sewer is on fire. I stopped going to eat ramen, called 119, and am waiting," along with a photo showing bright red flames rising from the sewer below.

Netizens responded with comments such as, "Smokers really need to dispose of cigarette butts properly," "Throwing them into the sewer is really careless," and "If there’s a lot of methane in the sewer, it could explode." One netizen shared, "I had a similar experience before. I saw smoke rising from the ground and found a fire. I told the owner of a nearby store, and we quickly poured water on it. Someone else went to get a fire extinguisher, and it took quite a while to put out."

Throwing cigarette butts into sewers can cause not only fires but also sewer blockages and backflow during the rainy season. Additionally, illegally discarding cigarette butts or trash such as tissues can result in a fine of 50,000 KRW.