A fire accompanied by an explosion at a villa in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, left one man dead and six people injured on Chuseok. The blaze began in a third-floor unit in Deokgye-dong at about 1:27 p.m. A man in his 60s was later found dead inside the home, while four police officers, one firefighter and one resident were taken to hospital with injuries.
Emergency crews deployed roughly 70 personnel and 34 vehicles and brought the main fire under control in about 50 minutes. Authorities had received a report before the blast saying that an intoxicated resident appeared to be spreading gasoline. The explosion occurred as police arrived and were checking the unit, according to the reports. Officials said the injured responders and resident were not believed to be in life-threatening condition.
Police are investigating the possibility that the fire was deliberately set, but the final cause has not yet been established. Investigators will need to reconstruct what happened inside the apartment before the explosion and determine whether the gasoline report is connected to the ignition. The case is also likely to be reviewed for the risks faced by police and firefighters entering a scene where an accelerant may be present.