A camping site fire that broke out early Sunday at South Korea’s port city of Incheon left five people, including three children, dead and two injured, officials said.
The deadly fire occurred at a tent set up on camping grounds adjacent to a beach on Ganghwa Island around 1:20 a.m., according to Incheon Ganghwa Fire Station.
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A 37-year-old camper surnamed Lee perished in the fire along with his two sons, aged 11 and six. An unidentified man and a female child were also killed.
The bodies of the deceased have been sent to a morgue at Gwanghwa Hospital.
Lee’s third son was rescued by a 43-year-year-old man surnamed Park, who had been camping in a nearby tent. Both Park and the boy suffered from smoke inhalation and second-degree burns and are receiving treatment at Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital and Bestian Medical Center in Bucheon, respectively.
Fire officials said the fire appears to have engulfed the tent, made from inflammable material, in about a minute.
Officials have yet to determine the cause of the fire.
“There isn’t much evidence since the tent has been destroyed completely. We have to conduct further investigation to determine what exactly caused the fire,” Ryu Hwan-hyeong, the head of Incheon Ganghwa Fire Station, told reporters.
Police officials suspect that the fire originated from a heating device inside the tent, and have requested the National Forensic Service to analyze the evidence.
By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)
