Mother dies saving baby from South Korea fire caused by neighbour’s pest control
Officials said they plan to seek an arrest warrant for the suspect who started the blaze while trying to kill a cockroach using a lighter
According to Osan police station, the fire broke out around 5.35am on Monday in a mixed-use building where a woman in her 20s, identified only by her surname A, lived on the second floor.
She tried to catch a cockroach by spraying flammable mist and igniting it with a lighter, effectively creating a small flame-thrower.
Flames quickly spread to a nearby bed and piles of trash, prompting A to call emergency services. Firefighters extinguished the blaze within about 40 minutes.
The fire, however, claimed the life of a Chinese national in her 30s, identified as B, who lived on the fifth floor. Eight other residents suffered from smoke inhalation.
When the flames erupted, B held her two-month-old baby and, together with her husband, opened a window to call for help.