Police on Tuesday sought an arrest warrant for the motorcycle owner who is suspected of having triggered a deadly fire in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, earlier this month.
Four were killed and 126 injured in a blaze that engulfed three residential buildings on Jan. 10. The city police confirmed from surveillance camera footage that the fire had started from a spark from a motorcycle in a ground-floor parking lot.
The motorbike owner, identified by his surname Kim, was booked on charges of accidentally causing a fire and negligent homicide.
According to the police, 53-year-old Kim attempted to warm up the motorbike’s ignition switch with a cigarette lighter as the key had gotten stuck in the cold. Investigators suspect that lighter may have melted the wire coating of the ignition box, which later caused the spark.
Further investigation into motorcycle incident is underway, the police said.
Authorities also booked owners of two of the damaged buildings for violating construction regulations.
The nonresidential buildings were illegally turned into apartments by dividing the rooms to accommodate more residents, authorities said.
Meanwhile, as part of efforts to tighten safety regulations, the Public Safety Ministry vowed to push for a new regulation that all buildings must have walls built with incombustible materials.
Concerns have escalated over construction rules after it was reported that the apartment fire quickly spread to two adjacent buildings due to flammable walls.
Currently, incombustible materials are only required for the construction of the outer walls of skyscrapers, public-purpose buildings and factories.
By Lee Hyun-jeong (
rene@heraldcorp.com)
