Woman dies saving baby from fire sparked by neighbour trying to kill cockroach
A woman in her 30s died after rescuing her two-month-old baby from a fire that broke out in South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province early on Monday (21 Oct).
The blaze was allegedly started by a neighbour who attempted to kill a cockroach using a lighter and spray mist, inadvertently setting her home ablaze.
Fire sparked by makeshift ‘flamethrower’ attempt
According to local media, the incident occurred around 5.35am in a five-storey mixed-use residential building in Gwol-dong, Osan.
A woman in her 20s, identified as Ms A, reportedly tried to burn a cockroach by spraying a flammable mist and igniting it with a cigarette lighter, creating a makeshift flamethrower.
The flame quickly spread to nearby furniture and piles of rubbish inside her second-floor unit.
Source: News1
Ms A initially tried to extinguish the fire herself but failed and eventually called emergency services.
Firefighters arrived and brought the blaze under control in about 40 minutes.
Mother saves baby before fatal fall
As the fire spread upward, thick black smoke filled the building, trapping residents on higher floors.
Source: News1
On the fifth floor, a Chinese national in her 30s, identified only as Ms B, and her husband were cornered by the smoke while holding their two-month-old baby.
They opened a window and shouted for help, prompting neighbours in the adjacent building to rush to assist.
With their help, the couple managed to hand the baby safely across to the next building.
Ms B’s husband then escaped through the same window, but she reportedly slipped before she could climb to safety and fell.
She was taken to Ajou University Hospital with severe injuries but died around 10.40am, roughly five hours after the fire began.
Police later confirmed that Ms B had given birth just two months earlier and had been recovering while caring for her newborn.
Eight other residents were treated for smoke inhalation.
Police investigating cause, seeking arrest warrant
Investigators believe Ms B and her husband resorted to escaping through the window because the stairwell was blocked by flames and dense smoke.
Police said toxic fumes could have been especially dangerous for the infant, prompting the couple’s desperate decision.
During questioning, Ms A told officers she had tried to kill the cockroach using a method she had seen on YouTube and admitted to having used the same technique before.
Authorities confirmed she was neither intoxicated nor under the influence of drugs at the time.
Police are investigating the exact circumstances of the blaze and plan to seek an arrest warrant for Ms A on charges of negligent arson and causing death by negligence.
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Featured image adapted from News1.
