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Battery explosion possibly behind Seoul apartment blaze that killed 2, injured 13

Published: 18 Aug. 2025, 09:08 Updated: 18 Aug. 2025, 20:54

Firefighters put out the remaining fire inside an apartment building in Changjeon-dong, Mapo District, in western Seoul on Aug. 17. [YONHAP]

A Seoul apartment fire that killed two and injured over a dozen on Sunday is suspected to have been caused by an exploding battery, according to authorities.

The fire broke out at around 8:10 a.m. in an apartment in Changjeon-dong, Mapo District, leaving a man in his 20s and his mother, a woman in her 60s, dead, and 13 others injured. The man died at the scene. His mother was transported to a hospital after receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation but was later pronounced dead. The man's father, who is in his 60s, sustained burns and was also taken to a hospital.

Police and fire authorities plan to launch a joint investigation at 10 a.m. Monday to determine the cause of the blaze, based on statements from the man's family indicating that the fire started when a battery charging in the son’s room exploded.

“The flames surged like gasoline had been poured, and a series of explosions followed, spreading instantly,” the family reportedly said. Witnesses also said they heard multiple loud noises followed by fire and thick black smoke.

Police say the incident resembles a phenomenon known as a "thermal runaway," in which a chain reaction of heat builds up inside a lithium-ion battery and causes the temperature of the device to rise to as high as 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,800 degrees Fahrenheit) within seconds.

A resident of the apartment complex in Changjeon-dong, western Seoul, where a fire started on the 14th floor on the morning of Aug. 17, shows a picture of the blaze to the reporter later on the day. [IM SOUNG-BIN]

The fire began in a unit on the 14th floor of a 20-story apartment building. Fire authorities dispatched 252 personnel and 79 vehicles and extinguished the fire completely by 10:42 a.m. A total of 89 residents were evacuated during the operation.

The unit on the 14th floor was not equipped with sprinklers, which authorities believe may have contributed to the extent of the damage. The apartment complex, which houses 950 units, was completed in 1998. At the time, sprinklers were only required for floors 16 and above in apartment buildings taller than six stories.

According to data submitted by Democratic Party lawmaker Yang Bu-nam from the National Fire Agency, 65 percent of apartment complexes built before 2004 — or 28,820 out of 44,208 buildings — do not have sprinkler systems. Sprinklers became mandatory in all apartment buildings with 11 floors or more starting in 2004.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]