South Korean car washer gets 18 months in prison for starting fire that damaged 100 Mercedes

A mobile car washer was jailed in South Korea for smoking next to a gas canister and sparking a fire that gutted the basement of an apartment block

The blaze caused $US3.1 million in destruction, and damaged more than 600 cars, including 100 Mercedes vehicles

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Published: 7:10pm, 5 Sep 2022Updated: 9:10pm, 5 Sep 2022

A mobile car washer was jailed in South Korea on Monday for lighting up next to a gas canister and sparking a fire that gutted the basement of an apartment block where hundreds of cars were parked.

The 31-year-old man received 18 months in prison, and was convicted of accidentally starting a fire while lighting a cigarette next to a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) canister. The cylinder installed in his van was used for making high-pressure steam to wash vehicles.

The fire caused 4.3 billion won (US$3.1 million) worth of damage to the building, and to more than 600 cars including some 100 Mercedes-Benz vehicles and 70 other luxury cars.

A mobile car washer was jailed in South Korea for lighting up next to a gas canister and sparking a fire that gutted the basement of an apartment block where hundreds of cars were parked. Photo: Screen shot courtesy JoongAng video

But the man, whose name is being withheld from the public under the country’s privacy law, will only be able to pay 100 million won (US$72,900) of the total because that is the maximum amount covered by his insurance policy.

The incident happened in a luxury block of flats in the southern city of Cheonan in August last year.

The come-to-your home car wash/detailer attempted to smoke, forgetting the gas canister’s valve remained open while the highly explosive gas was escaping into the air, according to court findings.

The detailer admitted he attempted to smoke near the cylinder but insisted it had leaked for unknown reasons and therefore, he was not directly responsible for the explosion.