A man was apprehended by the police after a candle he placed on a ritual table in front of his parents' gravesite led to a wildfire.
On the 23rd, the Tongyeong Police Station in South Gyeongsang Province announced that they had arrested a man in his 60s, identified as A, on charges of accidental fire under the Forest Protection Act.
According to the police and forest authorities, at around 1:55 p.m. the previous day, A is suspected of causing a wildfire after lighting a candle to perform a memorial rite at his parents' gravesite on a hill in Yongnam-myeon, Tongyeong City.
A placed a lit candle on the ritual table, and the candle was blown over by the wind, which caused the fire to spread to the mountain.
About 500 square meters of forest were burned in the fire, and two people were transported to the hospital after inhaling smoke, but their lives are not in danger.
The fire was completely extinguished by forest and fire authorities who responded to the scene at about 4:38 p.m. that day.
The police plan to hand A over to the Tongyeong City Special Judicial Police for Forest Affairs as soon as the investigation is complete.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
