"Residents ignored it..." Arrest warrant for arsonist who created a sea of fire in Gangneung and East Sea

Applied for violation of building fire protection and forest protection law… Forest and building damage snowballs

Second day of wildfire

(Donghae = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Jong-geon = The wildfire that occurred in Okgye-myeon, Gangneung-si, on the 4th, caused great damage, and the forest fire that spread to Daejin-dong, Donghae-si on the night of the 5th continued for the second day.
2022.3.5 [email protected]

(Gangneung = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Young-seo = Police have applied for an arrest warrant for a man in his 60s who set off a forest fire that turned the Gangneung Okgye and East Sea areas into a sea of fire.

The Gangneung Police Station announced on the 6th that it had applied for an arrest warrant for A (60) the night before on charges of arson of buildings in the current state, arson of general buildings, and violation of the Forest Protection Act.

Person A is suspected of starting a large forest fire by setting fire to his home and empty house with a torch, etc.

The police arrived at 1:07 a.m. after receiving a report from a nearby resident that “Mr. A is lighting a fire with a torch, etc.” and arrested Mr. A as a current criminal.

In addition, at the time of arrest, a helmet, torch, and ax were confiscated from Mr. A as evidence.

Person A admitted to the crime of arson, giving reasons such as “The residents ignored me for years and committed the crime.”

**East Sea covered in smoke**

(Donghae = Yonhap News) Reporter Ji-woong Yang = The area around Mukho Port in Donghae-si, Gangwon-do is covered with smoke on the afternoon of the 5th, when forest fires continue for the second day in various places in Gangwon-do. 2022.3.5 [email protected]

On the day of the crime, he fell while evacuating from a forest fire and was taken to the hospital, but it was confirmed that he was the son of a deceased B (86, female).

Mr. B lived here for about 30 years, and Mr. A came down from Seoul to Gangneung 5 years ago and stayed with his mother, but there was little interaction with the residents.

It is known that the prosecution plans to file a warrant for the court within this day, so it is expected that an interrogation of the suspect before the arrest of A will be held soon.

The forest fire caused by Mr. A’s crime burned 500 hectares of forest and dozens of buildings to ashes and is still not extinguished to this day.

The forestry authorities are mobilizing helicopters and manpower to fight the fire, but they are having difficulties due to the dry air and strong winds.