South Korea: A mother lost her life while rescuing her baby from an apartment fire in Osan, after a neighbor attempted to kill a cockroach using a makeshift flamethrower, authorities said. Police reported that the fire began when a woman in her 20s, living on the second floor, sprayed a flammable substance on a cockroach and ignited it with a lighter. The resulting flames quickly spread to a nearby bed and piles of trash, engulfing her apartment.
Details Of Suspect, Victim
The incident occurred at approximately 5:35 a.m. on Monday in the city south of Seoul, in Gyeonggi province. Fire spread rapidly through the building’s fifth floor, filling the stairways with thick smoke, according to police.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, will face charges of negligence resulting in death.
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The victim, a Chinese woman in her 30s, lived in the building with her husband and their two-month-old baby. As flames engulfed their apartment, the couple called for help from a window, passing their infant to a neighbor in a nearby building less than a meter away.
While the husband managed to climb to safety, the mother fell while attempting to follow him. She was rushed to Ajou University Hospital but succumbed to her injuries five hours later. The baby survived unharmed.
Victim Died of Smoke Inhalation
Firefighters extinguished the fire within about 40 minutes. Eight other residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Investigators believe the couple tried to escape through a window after finding the corridor blocked by smoke and flames.
The five-storey building included shops on the ground floor and 32 residential units above. Authorities said the suspect had previously used the same pest-control method without incident. Investigators are also examining whether building materials or safety code violations contributed to the fire’s rapid spread.
Rise of DIY Flamethrower Trend
Makeshift flamethrowers, often created using lighters and aerosol sprays, have become a popular DIY pest-control trend on social media. In a similar incident in 2018, an Australian man accidentally set his kitchen on fire while attempting to kill cockroaches using the same method.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
