Shooting range fire caused by stray bullet

The fire that has killed 15 people in a Busan indoor shooting range earlier this month was caused by sparks from shooting activities that ignited a flammable substance such as gunpowder, police officials said yesterday.

"We have that the ignition point was near shooting stand number one, where flammable substances were piled up," said Kim Young-sik, head of the investigation team at the Busan Police Agency, in a briefing.

The CCTV recordings restored by the police showed a spark at the mentioned spot that quickly spread into a fire, according to officials. No witness was present around the shooting stands at the time of ignition as all visitors had either left or retreated to the lounge.



The sparks resulted from the tourists` shooting and not from arson or a discarded cigarette, as had been earlier suggested, officials said.

Officials said that the resulting smoke built up rapidly and met with other gases from the fire, leading to an explosion.

The five-story building in a Busan marketplace was engulfed in a sudden blaze following a loud blast on Nov. 14. On the second floor was an indoor shooting range, a tourist spot which had recently become very popular among Japanese visitors.

The first 10 fatalities died from smoke inhalation and burns received on the scene. Another six were injured and taken to nearby hospitals, but five of them later died from serious burns, according to hospital officials.

The tourists had come from the Japanese city of Nagasaki to Busan earlier that day for a two-day school reunion trip. Their bodies were taken back to Japan by their families after being identified by the National Institute of Scientific Investigation.

(tellme@heraldm.com)



By Bae Hyun-jung