A fire accompanied by an explosion at an apartment in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, killed two people and injured six. The damage was not limited to the unit where the fire broke out. Upstairs residents also lost their homes, bringing the issue of indirect victims to the surface.
According to police on Thursday, the Uiwang Police Station, the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency's scientific investigation unit, the National Forensic Service (NFS), and the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters conducted a joint forensic investigation centered on the 14th-floor unit of the Naeson-dong apartment where the fire broke out at 10:30 a.m. on the 1st. Police confirmed that the gas valve in the kitchen had been left open and sent related debris to the NFS for analysis.
The fire began with the sound of an explosion around 10:30 a.m. on the 30th of last month. A man in his 60s, identified as A, who lived in the unit, died after falling, and his wife B, a woman in her 50s, was found dead in the bathroom of the unit. "No flammable substances were found at the scene, so a gas explosion is presumed to be the cause," a police official said. "Autopsy results suggest the deceased wife had already died before the fire broke out." Six others were injured, and a suicide note lamenting financial difficulties was found in A's clothing.
The apartment building where the fire occurred has 20 floors above ground and one underground, with a total floor area of about 8,800 square meters and 78 households. Built in 2002, the building was subject to laws at the time requiring sprinklers only on the 16th floor and above, so none were installed on the 14th floor, where the fire occurred.
On social media that day, a family member of residents living directly above the unit where the fire broke out posted about the damage, writing, "My parents lost the home they first purchased and lived in for more than 20 years overnight." After inspecting the site in person, the family said nothing could be salvaged, including furniture, beds, bedding, and clothing.
The family said they inquired with apartment management and local authorities about possible compensation, but no substantive public support was available for household essentials such as appliances and furniture. They also had no fire insurance, leaving compensation woefully insufficient. In a follow-up post, the family said, "We will receive compensation for part of the building and household items from the insurance company, but the burden of proof ultimately falls on us," adding, "We were recognized as disaster victims, so temporary housing has been provided."
Compensation available to upstairs residents who suffered indirect damage from a fire in another unit can be divided into three main channels.
The first is the apartment's group insurance policy. A Supreme Court ruling has held that when a fire originating in one unit of an apartment causes damage to another unit, liability for the damaged unit must be borne by the group insurance policy. However, group insurance mainly covers common facilities such as hallways, elevators, and exterior walls, and often does not cover personal property such as furniture and appliances. Whether the building has group insurance and the scope of coverage can be confirmed at the management office.
The second is personal fire insurance. Individual fire insurance policies cover household goods and temporary living expenses that group insurance does not, so claims must be filed. Damage from soot and flooding by firefighting water also falls within the liability coverage of fire insurance, so photos and videos of the damage should be documented in detail.
The third is emergency welfare support from local governments. When residents cannot continue living in their homes due to fire, they can apply for emergency welfare support through their local community service center, and those recognized as disaster victims can receive temporary housing. For accidents at facilities covered by disaster liability insurance, compensation is provided up to 150 million won per person for casualties and up to 1 billion won per incident for property damage. A fire certificate can be issued immediately by the fire department and serves as the starting point for compensation claims.
