A woman in her 30s died after saving her two-month-old baby from a fire accidentally started by a neighbour attempting to kill a cockroach using a lighter and spray in Osan, South Korea’s Gyeonggi province, police said on Monday.
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According to Osan police station, the fire broke out around 5.35am on Monday in a mixed-use building where a woman in her 20s, identified only by her surname A, lived on the second floor.
She tried to catch a cockroach by spraying flammable mist and igniting it with a lighter, effectively creating a small flame-thrower.
Flames quickly spread to a nearby bed and piles of trash, prompting A to call emergency services. Firefighters extinguished the blaze within about 40 minutes.
The fire, however, claimed the life of a Chinese national in her 30s, identified as B, who lived on the fifth floor. Eight other residents suffered from smoke inhalation.
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When the flames erupted, B held her two-month-old baby and, together with her husband, opened a window to call for help.