Oil tank fire suspect freed as arrest warrant request denied

Police on Wednesday released a construction worker suspected of causing a fire at an oil storage tank, as prosecutors decided not to issue a warrant for his arrest.

Goyang Police Station said the Goyang branch of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office denied its second request for an arrest warrant, citing a lack of evidence. The 27-year-old suspect, who is a Sri Lankan national, was set free from the police station 48 hours after he was detained without a warrant on Monday afternoon. 

The suspect is alleged to have caused the fire at an oil storage tank in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday.

According to the police, the man flew a sky lantern at a construction site, some 300 meters away from the oil storage facility. The suspect had found the lantern at a tunnel construction site where he worked, police said.

Police believe the suspect was aware that oil storage tanks are located near the mountain where he lit and released the lantern during a work break on Sunday morning.

The massive blaze, which started Sunday, was completely extinguished about 17 hours later, early Monday.

The fire caused damage worth 4.3 billion won ($3.79 million) to Daehan Oil Pipeline Corp., the facility operator. No one was injured.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)