A fire broke out at a villa in Seoul's Eunpyeong district while their guardian was out, killing an elementary school brother and sister who had remained at home.
According to fire authorities on the 9th, the blaze broke out around 10:57 p.m. the previous day on the third floor of a three-story villa with one basement level in Galhyeon-dong, Eunpyeong district. Responding to a report from a neighbor who said a fire had broken out along with an explosion, fire authorities deployed 82 personnel and 23 pieces of equipment and fully extinguished the flames at 11:47 p.m., about 50 minutes after receiving the report.
The elementary school siblings inside the building at the time of the fire were taken to a hospital but ultimately died. They were confirmed to be a second-grade student (age 9) and a first-grade student (age 8). In addition, two residents received treatment for smoke inhalation, and nine people escaped on their own and avoided serious harm.
The siblings' guardian, their father, was found to have gone out on personal business before the fire broke out. Police said, "As of now, no unusual circumstances have been confirmed regarding the guardian's movements."
A resident living in the same building recounted the scene at the time of the fire, saying, "My son reported that a fire had broken out in Unit 301." The resident added, "At first a red glow appeared, then black smoke soon shot up and the flames grew in an instant, and the impact even blew out the windows." The resident continued, "In the early stages of the report, it was mistaken for a prank call, so the location was checked again, and police arrived first before the fire trucks came."
Regarding the family circumstances of the deceased siblings, the resident said, "I only know that the parents divorced and the father had been raising the children," adding, "The father usually did not leave the house empty very often." Another resident living nearby said, "Among neighbors, there was talk that a grandmother living close by took care of the children."
Yet another resident, recalling the time of the fire, said, "I saw a grandmother and grandson living next door crying out for help." Residents near the scene could not hide their sorrow over the accident that claimed young lives.
Accidents in which children lose their lives alone in fires while their guardians are away have recurred over the past few years.
In June last year, at an apartment in Busan's Busanjin district, a fire broke out while the parents were out, killing sisters aged 10 and 7. In July of the same year, at an apartment in Busan's Gijang county, sisters aged 8 and 6 who had been left without their parents died in a late-night fire. In 2023, in Ulsan, a fire broke out while a father was away from home, killing a 5-year-old child.
As such accidents occurred one after another, the government in September last year announced comprehensive measures to prevent recurrence of fires, deciding to distribute standalone fire alarms to about 1.5 million vulnerable households and to conduct safety education targeting some 3,000 elementary schools in areas with concentrations of aging apartment complexes.
However, as this fire brought about another similar tragedy, calls are growing to enhance the effectiveness of the measures.
Police are conducting a detailed forensic examination of the fire scene to investigate the exact cause of ignition, and autopsies will also be conducted on the two deceased elementary school students. The Eunpyeong Fire Station said it would determine the specific cause of the fire through a second joint forensic examination that day.
