Two fires tore through separate office buildings in Seoulโs Yeoksam-dong business district within minutes of each other on October 20, leaving 19 people with reported injuries or other medical emergencies. One employee was found in cardiac arrest and taken to a hospital, while several others suffered serious injuries, burns or breathing difficulties. Flames, heavy smoke and broken windows prompted hurried evacuations from the buildings and nearby businesses in the middle of the working day.
The first report reached emergency services at about 11:54 a.m. from a seven-story building. Another fire was reported roughly seven minutes later at a second building nearby. Published estimates placed the properties about 130 to 200 metres apart, close enough to walk between in a few minutes. Around 60 people were reported to have escaped without assistance as firefighters entered the buildings and treated casualties.
Seven minutes between two nearby fires
Emergency crews extinguished the second fire at about 12:35 p.m., according to Yonhap News Agency, while operations at the first building continued until roughly 2:20 p.m. Early reports described a large response involving personnel and more than 100 vehicles, with a first-stage emergency alert issued during the operation. Images from the area showed scorched interiors, shattered glass and debris around one of the buildings.
- First report
- About 11:54 a.m. on October 20
- Interval
- Roughly seven minutes
- Reported toll
- 19 people with injuries or medical emergencies
- Police action
- A man in his seventies was apprehended at about 4:16 p.m.
The proximity and timing initially produced conflicting assessments about whether the fires were connected. An early fire-service account said no link had been confirmed, while later reporting by YTN, Yonhap and the Kyunghyang Shinmun said police were investigating the incidents as suspected deliberate fires. The change reflects the progression of an active investigation rather than a final legal finding about how each blaze began.
Police apprehended a man in his seventies near Dongmyoap Station at approximately 4:16 p.m., several hours after the fires. He was taken into custody on suspicion of setting both blazes. An arrest establishes neither guilt nor a proven motive, and investigators still must examine physical evidence, surveillance footage, witness accounts and the suspectโs statements before prosecutors or a court determine legal responsibility.
Arrest opens a wider inquiry into motive and evidence
Both affected buildings reportedly housed patent-law offices. Some coverage said the suspect claimed that he had been defrauded by a patent firm, but that account remains his allegation and has not been established as fact. The Kyunghyang Shinmun and Gyeonggi Ilbo also reported that the man had previously threatened or committed a similar act involving gasoline at the same patent-law business four years earlier and had received a prison sentence. That reported history may inform the police inquiry, but it does not by itself prove responsibility for the October 20 fires.
The casualty count underscores how quickly a fire in an occupied commercial building can endanger workers, clients and people in adjacent premises. Reports described one person in cardiac arrest, other seriously injured victims and additional people with less severe injuries or breathing problems. Differences among early accounts over whether the total represented injuries alone or all casualties are typical during a fast-moving emergency, but the reporting consistently placed the combined number at 19.
Investigators are expected to establish the ignition points, determine whether accelerants were used and reconstruct the suspectโs movements between the two locations. Medical updates on the most seriously affected people will also clarify the final human toll. Until those findings are released, the fires should be described as suspected arson under police investigation, with the detained man identified as a suspect rather than as a convicted offender.