Tragedy Strikes on Christmas Eve: Resident in His 70s Dies in Songpa Apartment Fire

Transported to Hospital but Did Not Survive
Wife in Her 70s Remains in Critical Condition
Fire Authorities Suspect Bed in Small Room as Origin

On the 24th, a fire broke out and flames were rising at an apartment in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

At 5:36 a.m. on December 24, the day before Christmas, a fire broke out on the fifth floor of the Olympic Athlete and Press Village Apartment in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, resulting in the death of a resident in his 70s.

According to the police and fire authorities, Mr. Kim (male, 78), who lived in the apartment where the fire started, was transported to a nearby hospital in cardiac arrest but was pronounced dead at around 2:30 p.m. that day. His wife, Mrs. Park (female, 76), who was also found unconscious, remains in critical condition.

The fire authorities also rescued a man and a woman in their 70s from the seventh floor, but they only suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation. During the firefighting process, a firefighter in his 30s sustained a first-degree burn on his ear. When the fire broke out, the apartment's fire alarm sounded, and 35 residents evacuated urgently.

After receiving a report from the security guard, the fire department dispatched 137 personnel and 38 pieces of equipment, and managed to completely extinguish the fire at around 7:11 a.m., about an hour and 30 minutes after it started.

The police and fire authorities believe the fire started from a bed in a small room and are investigating the exact cause of the fire. So far, arson is considered unlikely.

Residents could not hide their sorrow and shock at the tragedy that occurred just one day before Christmas. The home of the couple where the fire broke out was completely destroyed, and the exterior wall of the apartment was blackened by smoke.

A resident living on the first floor said, "I woke up with a start when I heard the sound of jars breaking as windows and burning debris fell," and added, "I was so worried about the resident living alone upstairs that I can't even remember how many times I knocked on their door."