3 dead, 1 injured as fire engulfs multi-family dwelling in S. Korea

SEOUL — Three members of a family were dead, and one injured, as a fire engulfed a multi-family dwelling in South Korea Thursday, according to local media report.

The fire broke out at about 6:37 am local time (2137 GMT Wednesday) on the third floor of a multi-family dwelling in Cheonan, South Chungcheong province.

The flare was extinguished about 26 minutes later, but three of the four-member family were found dead, including a 72-year-old husband, his 66-year-old wife and his 40-year-old daughter.

The 36-year-old son was taken to a nearby hospital as inhaling smoke. He was in a critical condition.

The firefighting authorities tentatively concluded that the fire was caused by arson. The exact cause of the accident was still under investigation.