Two elementary school students have died following a fire at a villa in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul.

According to fire authorities on July 9, the blaze broke out at 10:57 p.m. the previous night on the third floor of a four-story villa (three floors above ground, one basement level) in Galhyeon-dong, Eunpyeong-gu.

The two children, a brother and sister, were found inside the building and rushed to a hospital, but they ultimately passed away.

They were reportedly in the second and first grades of elementary school, respectively.

It was determined that their father, who is their guardian, had stepped out before the fire occurred.

Additionally, two other residents suffered from smoke inhalation, and nine others evacuated on their own.

Responding to reports from neighbors who heard an explosion, fire authorities mobilized 82 personnel and 23 vehicles, fully extinguishing the fire at 11:47 p.m., approximately 50 minutes after it began.

A neighbor who was outside taking out the trash and witnessed the fire described the scene, saying, "I saw lights flickering inside the house, then there was a loud bang, the fire broke out, and the window fell to the ground. I immediately told my son, who was inside our home, to get out quickly and call for help."

Another resident also stated, "I saw a grandmother and her grandchild living next door (to the fire) calling for help."

Neighbors gathered at the scene expressed their deep sorrow, saying, "One can only imagine how the parents must feel."

Tragedies involving children left home alone who die in fires while their guardians are away have occurred repeatedly in the past.

In July of last year, two sisters—a third-grader and a kindergartner—died in a fire at an apartment in Gijang-gun, Busan, while their parents were out. In 2023, a five-year-old child also died in a fire in Ulsan while their father was away.

The police plan to conduct a forensic examination of the scene to investigate the exact cause of the fire.

(Photo: Provided by Seoul Eunpyeong Fire Station, Yonhap News)