Police arrest welder suspected of starting warehouse fire

ICHEON, South Korea, Dec. 6 (Yonhap) -- Police said Saturday that they arrested a man suspected to have caused a large fire in a cold storage warehouse south of Seoul that left six dead and one missing.
The blaze broke out in the warehouse basement in Icheon, 60 km south of Seoul, shortly after noon on Friday and spread over nearby mountains, driven by strong winds. Firefighters put it down late at night.
The accident happened less than a year after a similar warehouse fire killed 40
dead in the same town.
Police said, like the previous accident, welding sparks caused the fire.
A welder identified only by his surname Kang, was being questioned by police,
they said.
"He confessed that he was welding an entrance gate leading to a basement
refrigerator with his assistant when the flame jumped to a panel," a police
officer said.
They initially tried to beat down the flames but had to escape, the officer said.
Kang was a subcontractor for a company called Sams that was commissioned to
manage the warehouse, police said.
Police planned to question Sams managers over negligence allegations.
Rescue efforts continued for one worker who was still missing. The fire also left
two others and a firefighter injured.
Icheon is home to many warehouses, due to its proximity to Seoul. The lack of
firefighting equipment and emergency exits was blamed for the January accident.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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