Fire Started in Parking Lot Recycling Area... 7 Suffer Smoke Inhalation
Over 50 Evacuated, Rooftop Rescue... Teenager Referred for Accidental Arson
The fire that broke out in March at a daycare center building affiliated with a general hospital in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, was found to have started from a cigarette butt discarded by a teenager.
On May 14, Gwangsan Police Station announced that they had referred a teenage boy, identified as A, to the prosecution without detention on charges of accidental arson, after determining that he caused the fire by failing to properly extinguish a cigarette butt.
On the afternoon of March 31, a fire broke out at a daycare center near Central Hospital in Singa-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Song Bohyun
Investigations revealed that at around 1:45 p.m. on March 31, A and three friends smoked cigarettes in the parking lot of a building in Singa-dong, Gwangsan-gu, which served as both a workplace daycare center and dormitory for the hospital. Police believe that the cigarette butt discarded by A fell into a nearby recycling collection area, sparking the fire.
The fire started on the first floor of the piloti-structured building and spread rapidly. However, since the building was separate from the hospital and an initial response was carried out, the fire was extinguished within 35 minutes of breaking out.
At the time of the fire, about 50 people, including daycare children and teachers inside the building, made an emergency evacuation. Three hospital staff members took refuge on the roof and were rescued. Of the seven people who inhaled smoke, some were transported to the hospital for treatment.
Based on nearby closed-circuit (CC) TV footage, fire investigation results, and statements from those involved, the police concluded that A was responsible for accidental arson and referred him to the prosecution without detention.
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