A fire broke out at an apartment in Incheon in the middle of the night, leaving two residents with burns.

The fire occurred at around 2:40 AM today (October 25) on the 11th floor of an apartment building in Jakjeon-dong, Gyeyang-gu, Incheon.

As a result of the fire, two people living in the unit—a man in his 50s surnamed A and his wife, a woman in his 50s—suffered second-degree burns on their legs.

Additionally, around 40 residents evacuated on their own.

The fire authorities initially announced that there were nine injured people including the two, but later corrected the number of injured to two, stating that there was an error in the announcement process.

Upon receiving a report that "a fire broke out in the front building," the fire authorities mobilized 56 personnel and 24 pieces of equipment.

The fire was extinguished at around 2:59 AM, 19 minutes after it broke out.

Police believe that Mr. A turned on the city gas and ignited it with a lighter during an argument with his wife.

They concluded that the fire started as windows shattered along with a gas explosion in the process.

Police arrested Mr. A on charges of arson resulting in injury to a building.

Mr. A reportedly claimed during police questioning, "I was just trying to light a cigarette and had no intention of committing arson."

Police and fire authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire.

(Photo courtesy of Incheon Fire Headquarters, Yonhap News)