Explosion and Fire at Apartment Office Leave 8 Injured; Suspect Apprehended with Weapon While Suffering Full-Body Burns

[Anchor]

An explosion and subsequent fire broke out at an apartment management office in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, injuring eight people, including staff and residents. One person is in critical condition. The fire was allegedly set by a resident in his 70s, who was apprehended by police while wandering around with a weapon.

We have a report first from TBC reporter Park Dong-joo.

[Reporter]

It was around 8:30 AM today (July 23) when the management office of an apartment complex in Gyeongsan was engulfed in flames.

Startled by a loud bang, residents rushed outside.

[Kim Jin-sik / Eyewitness: There was a loud pop, and when I looked out in shock, white smoke was rising. People suddenly screamed, and as they came out, the fire erupted.]

The person who brought flammable substances and set the fire with a lighter was a 72-year-old resident identified as A.

Although the fire was extinguished in about 20 minutes, seven residents of the same apartment who were inside the management office sustained injuries and are receiving treatment at hospitals.

Among the three people who suffered serious injuries, one is in critical condition.

They had reportedly gathered early in the morning to discuss countermeasures after discovering that the apartment's CCTV cables had been unplugged.

[Eyewitness: When I went down in the morning, someone had unplugged all the CCTV cables.]

Immediately after the incident, the suspect A wandered around the apartment complex while shouting and carrying a weapon, before being arrested by police responding to a report.

A also suffered full-body burns and is currently receiving treatment in the intensive care unit.

[Choi Sang-yeol / Head of Detective Division, Gyeongsan Police Station: The police officers dispatched to the scene saw that the suspect was holding a knife, so they used a handgun to order him to drop it. He dropped the knife, and we have separately confiscated it.]

Police plan to book suspect A on charges of arson resulting in injury to an inhabited building and carrying a weapon in a public place, while proceeding with the investigation as his condition improves.

(Video by: Park Jong-young, TBC)

Park Dong-joo, TBC
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.