Seoul police arrested a woman in her 30s on Sunday on suspicion of deliberately starting a fire in the ground-level parking lot of a six-story villa in Munjeong-dong, Songpa-gu, an overnight blaze that injured eight residents and destroyed three vehicles.
The Songpa Police Station said the fire broke out at about 12:37 a.m. Sunday in the pilotis-style parking area of the multi-family building. Fire authorities dispatched 118 responders and 33 pieces of equipment and declared the fire fully extinguished at 2:05 a.m., roughly 90 minutes after the first report, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Injuries and evacuations
Eight people suffered minor injuries, mostly from smoke inhalation, and were taken to hospitals for treatment, police and fire officials said. About 20 residents evacuated on their own before firefighters contained the flames. Channel A, citing residents, described alarms sounding as smoke spread from parked cars.
Three vehicles parked in the lot were burned out, and investigators were still assessing structural damage to the building’s lower columns and ventilation shafts. No fatalities were reported.
Arrest and alleged motive
Police identified the suspect only as a woman in her 30s and said they arrested her on suspicion of arson of an occupied structure. Yonhap reported that officers believe she was intoxicated when she ignited cardboard boxes stacked in the parking area.
SBS News said detectives were considering applying for an arrest warrant while they interview witnesses and review CCTV from the building and nearby streets. The charge police cited—arson of a building in use—carries heavier penalties when residents are present, reflecting the risk that smoke would rise into residential floors above the open parking deck.
Why Songpa cases draw attention
Munjeong-dong sits in southeastern Seoul’s dense villa belt, where older low-rise apartments mix small businesses and narrow access roads that can complicate fire truck staging. National statistics have shown recurring fires in enclosed parking areas when flammable storage and vehicle fuel combine, prompting periodic Ministry of the Interior and Safety campaigns on basement and pilotis storage rules.
For neighbors, the immediate concern is whether the building’s fire doors and electrical systems need reinspection before residents return to upper floors. The city’s housing office had not announced displacement figures by Sunday afternoon, but police said they would coordinate with district officials if investigators ordered a partial safety closure.
What happens next in the case
Prosecutors will decide whether to seek detention based on the suspect’s statements, toxicology results and any prior record. Even when injuries are classified as minor, arson cases that endanger multiple households often move quickly to formal indictment in Seoul courts.
Fire officials said a separate technical team would determine whether the blaze began solely in the cardboard pile or whether vehicle fuel lines contributed once flames reached the cars. That report will shape both the criminal case and any insurance disputes among vehicle owners and the building’s management.