A dad saved his child at a fire accident occurred in Seoul on Christmas Day

An official from the Korea Disaster Medical Assistance Team (KDMAT) inspects the scene of an accident at an apartment building in Dobong-gu, Seoul, where a fire broke out at dawn on Friday. Two people were killed in the blaze and 32 others were taken to hospitals for treatment of smoke inhalation, fractures and other minor injuries. Yonhap News

A fire broke out in an apartment building in Dobong district, Seoul, in the early hours of Christmas Day, killing two residents and injuring dozens of others. One of the dead was a man in his 30s who jumped to his death from the fourth floor, just above the third floor of the apartment where the fire broke out, reportedly while carrying a child. Another man, also in his 30s, reportedly died from smoke inhalation in the stairwell as he tried to escape after evacuating his family members who lived with him.

According to the Dobong Police Department and the Dobong Fire Department in Seoul, a fire broke out in a 21-story apartment building in Dobong district, at around 4:57 a.m., killing two men in their 30s and sending 32 people to the hospital with smoke inhalation, fractures and other minor injuries. Three people were also seriously injured, including a woman in her 70s, but they are not in critical condition.

It is understood that the couple, who lived on the fourth floor just above the initial point of ignition, threw their two-year-old first daughter onto a pile of recycling bags on the ground after the fire was detected, and then the husband, Mr. Park, 33, jumped to his death while holding their seven-month-old second daughter. Later, it was investigated that his wife, Jung Mo, 34, jumped after him. Her husband, Mr. Park, who was found in cardiac arrest immediately after the fall, was taken to the hospital but eventually died.

Mr. Lim, 38, who lived on the 10th floor of the apartment, also died in the accident. After evacuating his parents and younger brother first, Mr. Lim tried to go up to the 11th floor, where she allegedly suffocated from smoke inhalation in the stairwell. Mr. Lim was the first person to report the fire. The fire department, which responded to the scene after receiving a report of the fire, issued the first stage of firefighting and mobilized 57 vehicles and 222 personnel to extinguish the fire and urgently evacuate more than 200 residents. The fire flames were smothered at around 6:36 a.m. and the fire was completely extinguished by 8:40 a.m.

"At the time of the fire, I couldn't tell where the staircase was because of the smoke," said an apartment resident in a media interview. Another resident said, "I was at home when I heard the air purifier make a noise and turn red. I opened the window and saw black smoke and flames."

Firefighters believe the fire started on the third floor of the apartment building. A couple in their 70s who lived on the third floor was reportedly hospitalized after evacuating the building on their own. The flames quickly spread to the 15th floor of the apartment building. "We do not believe there is any suspicion of a crime," a police official said. The police and the fire department will conduct a joint forensic examination on the 26th to investigate the exact cause of the fire.

The Dobong district office has set up a fire unified support center to receive reports of fire damage. By 4:30 p.m., 33 cases of damage had been reported. President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Facebook on the same day, "I pray for the repose of the souls of those who have passed away and offer my condolences to the bereaved families," adding, "I wish those who were injured in the accident a speedy recovery."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.