'Where is my son?': Mother and child die, father injured in apartment fire

A fire in a Mapo District apartment complex killed a mother and son, injuring 13 others. Investigations into the fire's cause are ongoing, with authorities deeming arson unlikely.

A forensic investigator inspects the apartment building in Changjeon-dong, Mapo District, western Seoul, where a fire broke out on Aug. 17. [NEWS1]

An apartment building fire in Mapo District, western Seoul, left a mother and son dead and 13 others injured. The injured father, who escaped the blaze, was seen outside the building frantically searching for his family, asking neighbors, “Where’s my son?”

The fire broke out at around 8:11 a.m. on Sunday on the 14th floor of an apartment complex in Changjeon-dong, forcing 89 residents to evacuate. The deceased were a woman in her 60s and her son in his 20s. Among the 13 injured, one was seriously hurt and the remaining 12 suffered minor injuries.

“Around 8:16 a.m., I heard a loud bang, followed by someone screaming what sounded like, ‘Are you O.K., honey?’” said Kim Yeong-mun, a 72-year-old resident who first witnessed the fire from outside. "Then thick black smoke began to rise rapidly from the 14th floor.”

Another resident described the sound as being similar to “a bomb going off.”

A resident who was acquainted with the family in the affected unit said, “The father came out in front of the building, grabbed me and asked, ‘Have you seen my son? Where is he?’” The father had suffered injuries to his head and back. The son died at the scene, and the mother was transported to a hospital after receiving CPR but later died.

Fire breaks out at an apartment building in Changjeon-dong, Mapo District in western Seoul, on Aug. 17. [NEWS1]

“My two children were home,” said Shin, a 56-year-old resident who lives directly across the hall from the burned unit. “They survived by covering their faces with wet towels in the bathroom until they were rescued. They couldn’t open the door because the intense heat had caused the digital door lock to fail.”

Most residents who had evacuated to the apartment's senior community center said they realized there was a fire after hearing a loud bang and neighbors yelling, “Fire!”

Lee Sun-ja, 85, who lives on the 11th floor, recalled, “Around 8:10 a.m., I saw two men from the neighboring building shouting and pointing at the fire. I grabbed my family and rushed down the stairs in a panic.”

An apartment building in Changjeon-dong, Mapo District in western Seoul, is black with soot after a fire is extinguished on Aug. 17. [IM SOUNG-BIN]

The apartment complex, built in 1998, has 950 units. At the time of its construction, only floors 16 and above in multiunit buildings were required to have sprinklers, meaning the 14th floor did not have one installed. A resident on a lower floor of the building said, “We were actually preparing to propose sprinkler and electrical system inspections at next week’s resident meeting.”

Residents expressed sorrow for the loss of the young man, saying he was well-liked in the community. Shin said, “He always greeted people politely and was a well-built, good-natured young man. I often saw him heading out to play soccer. I can’t believe he’s gone.”

Firefighters put out a fire in an apartment building in Changjeon-dong, Mapo District, western Seoul, on Aug. 17. [YONHAP]

“He was a kind young man who completed his military service two or three years ago,” said 66-year-old Jang Myeong-hee, who lives on the 17th floor.

Police and fire authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire. “The first round of on-site inspection has been completed,” a fire department spokesperson said. “We currently believe the possibility of arson is low.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY IM SOUNG-BIN, OH SO-YEONG [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]