Bongcheon-dong 'Pesticide Spraying Fire' Disaster... There was a conflict with the upstairs neighbor over noise between floors

On the 21st, a fire broke out in Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, caused by arson using a spray-type pesticide sprayer. The suspect, a man in his 60s named Mr. A, died, and six people, including residents of the 4th floor of the apartment, were injured. Mr. A, who is believed to have lived on the 3rd floor of the apartment until the end of last year when the fire occurred, was known to have frequently conflicts with residents of the same building over noise issues. The police are investigating the possibility that Mr. A, who harbored resentment, planned the arson. It is understood that Mr. A left a will expressing a request to take good care of his mother.

According to the Gwanak Fire Station, at around 8:17 a.m. on that day, they received a report of "black smoke and an explosion sound" and dispatched firefighters to an apartment in Bongcheon-dong. They completely extinguished the fire at 9:54 a.m., 1 hour and 40 minutes later. At the scene of the fire, suspect A was found dead from burns in the apartment's 4th-floor corridor. Two residents, an 81-year-old Mr. Choi and a woman estimated to be in her 70s, suffered full-body burns and fell from the 4th floor to the 1st floor. Four residents in their 50s to 80s who complained of breathing difficulties were also transported to the hospital. The suspected weapon used in the crime, a pesticide sprayer about the size of an arm, was found at the scene, and it was reported to have been filled with a solvent.

 

Apartment resident Kim Mo (55), who witnessed the scene of the resident's fall, said, "The grandmother who fell shouted 'Help me' from the flower bed, and I entered the flower bed to rescue her. Then, a man also fell immediately afterward," and added, "After that, there was a loud 'bang' sound, and the fire spread even more." The building where the fire broke out is a rental building, which seems to have resulted in particularly severe damage to the elderly. Kim Deok-im (73), a resident on the 4th floor who set the fire with a pesticide sprayer, said, "I suddenly felt a burning sensation, so I immediately ran outside the house."

Another resident, Aunt Mo (88), also fell and was injured while evacuating down the stairs.

Earlier, around 8:04 a.m. that day, a report was received that a man in Bongcheon-dong was setting fire to a house with a spray gun from a villa 1.4 km away from the apartment where the fire had occurred. There were no casualties at the time, but it was understood that there was property damage, including part of the villa entrance being burned.

It is understood that Mr. A prepared a fuel tank and pesticide sprayer on the morning of that day, and then lit the pesticide sprayer near a residential area where his mother lives to perform a 'test run.' He carried a sprayer emitting flames comparable to a flamethrower and set fire to three villas. Witness Park (80) stated, "When I went out in the morning, I saw someone lighting a tool like a sprayer at the neighboring villa."

Mr. A is also said to have frequently argued with residents at that villa. Mr. Shin (20), who lives in the same building as Mr. A, said, "I couldn't contain my anger, and it became routine for me to spit and curse in front of my house every morning," and "I heard that he once got into a fight with workers at a nearby construction site and was fined for injuring someone."

Subsequently, Mr. A moved to the apartment on a motorcycle about ten minutes later and appears to have set fire using the same pesticide sprayer on the 4th floor. The police confirmed Mr. A's motorcycle in the apartment parking lot immediately after the fire and identified him as a likely suspect, but they also verified that the body found burned at the scene had the same fingerprints as Mr. A. It is also known that Mr. A left a farewell note to his daughter, asking her to take care of her mother, along with 50,000 won to cover his mother's hospital expenses.

 

According to Seoul Housing and Urban Development Corporation (SH) and the police, Mr. A moved from the accident apartment to a nearby villa on November 5th of last year. Resident Ms. Lee (53) said, "There was a continuous knocking on the wall from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. at Mr. A's house," and "When I asked him why I should suffer because of him, he said he was also a victim of noise between floors." It is reported that Mr. A continued to knock on the wall as retaliation, causing the entire building to suffer from the noise.

In particular, in September of last year, an assault incident occurred involving residents on the 4th floor, and the police were dispatched. However, it is known that a plea not to prosecute was later written, so no criminal charges were filed.

The police officer said, "We plan to determine the exact motive for the crime, including disputes caused by noise between floors."

 

 

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Wow... this person was completely crazy...

 

I'm really scared of meeting neighbors like this...