Two Buildings 200 Meters Apart in Seoul Catch Fire Seven Minutes Apart, 1 in Cardiac Arrest and 18 Injured

Two buildings about 200 meters apart in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul caught fire within seven minutes of each other on the morning of October 20, leaving one person in cardiac arrest and 18 injured, Yonhap reported. The fire at the Sinmyeong building started at about 11:54 a.m. on the third floor; about seven minutes later, at 12:01 p.m., a fire broke out at the Hanyang building roughly 200 meters away. Fire services dispatched 115 firefighters and 56 vehicles. One person from the Sinmyeong building fire was in cardiac arrest and taken to hospital, with 10 others injured; about 60 people evacuated on their own. The Hanyang building fire injured eight, three from smoke inhalation. Both offices where the fires started belonged to patent law firms. Police said the fires started inside the buildings and are investigating suspected arson, tracing suspects to determine whether the two fires are linked.