SEOUL: Police are investigating whether a deadly apartment fire in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, was deliberately set after a note believed to have been written by one of the deceased residents was found at the scene.
The fire broke out at around 10.30am Thursday (April 30) inside a unit on the 14th floor of a 20-story apartment building in Naeson-dong, killing a married couple and injuring six other residents, according to Uiwang Police Station and the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters.
A man in his 60s who lived in the unit fell from the building and died. His wife, in her 50s, was later found dead inside the unit during firefighting operations.
The blaze was fully extinguished at around 12.35pm, about one hour and 50 minutes after firefighters arrived.
Investigators reportedly found a note believed to have been left by the man. The note is said to have referred to financial difficulties and pessimism about his circumstances.
Authorities had initially said the man died after falling while evacuating. But the first emergency call to 119 was reportedly made over a person falling from the building, and investigators are now looking into the exact circumstances of his death after finding the note.
Six residents suffered minor injuries, while 11 people were evacuated from the building.
Police and fire authorities are investigating the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the deaths, keeping open several possibilities, including arson. - The Korea Herald/ANN
