A man in his 20s was arrested for setting fires on six consecutive floors of an officetel, a Korean mixed-use residential and office building, in Namdong-gu, Incheon early on the morning of the 8th.
The Namdong Police Station in Incheon said it had arrested the suspect, identified only as "A," on charges of arson of an occupied structure. The suspect is accused of using a portable lighter to set fire to smoke control dampers installed in the hallways of the 7th through 12th floors of the officetel in Guwol-dong at around midnight. Smoke control dampers are safety devices designed to prevent the spread of smoke during a fire.
Approximately 120 residents of the 12-story, 620-unit building evacuated on their own. No injuries were reported. However, six circuit boards of the smoke control dampers were destroyed and soot damage occurred in the auxiliary rooms on each floor, resulting in an estimated 1.03 million won in property damage according to the fire department.
Fire authorities received a report at 12:18 a.m. that "there is a strong burning smell" and dispatched 95 personnel and 33 pieces of equipment. The fires were fully extinguished within 13 minutes.
The suspect reportedly told evacuating residents, "I set the fire because I had a fight with my parents." Police arrested him on the spot.