Fire at Apgujeong Apartment; Was a Chinese Robot Vacuum the Cause?

[Anchor]

A fire broke out at the Hanyang Apartment complex in Apgujeong, Seoul, yesterday (July 21) morning, forcing about 20 residents to evacuate in a hurry. There have been statements suggesting that sparks suddenly flew from a Chinese-made robot vacuum cleaner.

Reporter Yoo Soo-Hwan has the story.

[Reporter]

Flames and smoke pour incessantly from the apartment window.

Debris is seen flying out of the window along with the smoke.

The fire started around 10:30 a.m. yesterday at the Hanyang Apartment in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Due to the fire, about 20 residents were forced to evacuate to a nearby senior citizens center. A woman in her 70s complained of dizziness after inhaling smoke, but it is reported that her life is not in danger.

The fire authorities deployed 36 vehicles and 133 personnel, bringing the major flames under control within 20 minutes of the report and fully extinguishing the fire at 12:04 p.m.

Three apartment residents were also rescued by firefighters.

[Apartment Security Guard: I made all the reports. A foreign domestic helper came running down, crying. I ran up there. There was a loud bang, and black smoke billowed out from the main bedroom. It was so thick with smoke that it was beyond the point of using a fire extinguisher.]

It is reported that only the domestic helper was inside the home when the fire started.

Police and fire authorities are said to have secured a statement claiming that "sparks suddenly flew from a Chinese-made robot vacuum cleaner," but they explained that "the point of ignition and the cause of the fire cannot be determined yet."

[Gangnam Fire Station Fire Investigator: There is a robot vacuum (inside the home). (The cause of the fire) needs to be investigated.]

[Apartment Resident: They were carrying (the robot vacuum) away earlier. It looked like the police were taking the robot vacuum.]

The fire authorities plan to determine the exact cause of the fire through on-site forensics, keeping in mind the possibility that the fire was caused by electrical factors in the home appliance.

(Video reporting: Bae Moon-san | Video editing: Kim Yoon-sung | Footage provided by: Seoul Gangnam Fire Station)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.