[Anchor]

Fires suspected to be acts of arson broke out consecutively at two buildings in Gangnam, Seoul, today (October 20). Nineteen people were injured, including a woman in her 30s who was transported to a hospital in cardiac arrest. Police apprehended a suspect in connection with the arson a short while ago and are preparing to question him.

Reporter Kwon Min-kyu has the details.

[Reporter]

Thick, black smoke billows from the building, and structural elements of the exterior wall are torn off.

Several citizens waiting for rescue can be seen standing precariously on the outside ledge, their backs pressed against the building's exterior wall.

The fire broke out at around 11:50 a.m. today on the third floor of a seven-story building in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

[Eyewitness: A man was leaning halfway out and kept asking to call an ambulance. Right next to him, black smoke and heavy fire were raging.]

The blaze left 11 people injured—including two severely—who received treatment, while about 60 people inside the building evacuated using firefighting ladder trucks and other means.

A woman in her 30s with serious injuries was found in cardiac arrest in the hallway of the third-floor fire site and taken to a hospital, where she is reportedly managed to regain a pulse.

Another seriously injured victim suffered severe burns to the face and is currently receiving treatment.

[Eyewitness: I heard the sound of glass breaking, glass falling down, and people were visible inside.]

However, just seven minutes after the initial fire report was filed, another fire broke out at a different building only about 200 meters away.

This time, the fire occurred on the fourth floor of a 10-story commercial building, injuring eight people. Among them, three are receiving treatment after showing severe breathing difficulty symptoms.

Responding to reports that "someone set a fire," the fire authorities issued a Level 1 response and brought the flames under control at both buildings in about an hour.

Police apprehended a man suspected of arson near Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, at around 4:10 p.m. and plan to investigate the exact circumstances.

(Camera reporting: Kim Se-kyung, Yang Ji-hoon | Video editing: Lee Hong-myung)