Man suspected of setting fires at two Gangnam buildings arrested

19 injured in back-to-back fires at two Yeoksam-dong buildings

Police arrested a man in his 70s on Tuesday on suspicion of setting fires at two patent law offices in Seoul’s Gangnam district seven minutes apart, injuring 19 people.

The man was arrested near Dongmyo Station in Jongno-gu at about 4:16 p.m. and taken to Suseo Police Station for questioning, according to police.

He is suspected of starting a fire at about 11:54 a.m. on the third floor of the Shinmyeong Building in Yeoksam-dong, then setting another fire at about 12:01 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Hanyang Building, about 200 meters away.

Fire authorities initially said they had not found a connection between the two fires. They also said they received a report that someone had deliberately started a fire.

Police later arrested the man on suspicion of setting both fires.

Police said the suspect fled by subway Line 1. They declined to provide further details while the investigation was underway.

A patent attorney working at the Shinmyeong Building was found in cardiac arrest in a hallway and taken to a hospital. Ten other people were injured there, and about 60 people evacuated on their own.

Eight people were injured at the Hanyang Building, including three who suffered severe breathing difficulties.

Fire authorities issued a Level 1 response and deployed 115 personnel and 56 pieces of equipment. The fire at the Hanyang Building was extinguished at about 12:35 p.m., while the fire at the Shinmyeong Building was fully extinguished at about 2:20 p.m.

Police are investigating the cause of the fires and whether the buildings’ sprinkler systems were activated.