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SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- One person went into cardiac arrest and 18 others were injured Tuesday after fires broke out at two nearby buildings just minutes apart in southern Seoul, officials said, with police investigating the possibility of arson.
One of the fires began on the third floor of a building in Seoul's southern ward of Gangnam at 11:54 a.m., according to fire officials. Firefighters partially put out the blaze at 1:12 p.m.
It forced some 60 people to evacuate the building and left 11 people injured, including one in the state of cardiac arrest.
The second fire broke out on the fourth floor of a building located about 200 meters away at 12:01 p.m. The blaze left eight people injured before it was extinguished about 30 minutes later.
The two fires were found to have affected the offices of two separate firms in two separate buildings, reportedly prompting the police to place weight on the possibility of arson.
A fire official earlier said in a briefing that the two fires appeared to be unrelated but that police will determine if they are, following their investigations.
Authorities dispatched 115 firefighters to put out the fires after receiving a report that someone had started a fire.
Firefighters inspect the site of a fire that ravaged a building in southern Soul on Oct. 20, 2026. (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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