South Korean police are seeking an arrest warrant for a woman in her 20s who accidentally set her apartment building on fire while attempting to kill a cockroach with a homemade flamethrower, local media report.
Tragically, one of her neighbors, a Chinese woman in her 30s, died after falling from a window while trying to escape. The neighbor lived on the fifth floor with her husband and two-month-old baby. When the fire broke out, the couple passed their baby to a neighbor before attempting to flee themselves. The husband successfully climbed to the next building, but the woman fell and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The suspect told police she had previously used a lighter and flammable spray to burn cockroaches, but on Monday, items in her home ignited, sparking the deadly fire. Authorities in the northern city of Osan said she could face charges for accidentally starting a fire and causing death by negligence.
Blowtorches and homemade flamethrowers for killing cockroaches have become a dangerous trend on social media. A similar incident occurred in Australia in 2018 when a man set his kitchen on fire using a homemade flamethrower.
The Osan apartment building contains commercial shops on the ground floor and 32 residential units above. Eight other residents suffered smoke inhalation during the fire, which forced many to evacuate as stairways were blocked by thick smoke.
