Cause remains unclear, but firefighters raise possibility of discarded cigarette butt

The charred base of a roadside tree near an apartment building by Seokchon Lake in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, is seen Sunday afternoon after a fire was extinguished. (Instagram @eunha5264)
The charred base of a roadside tree near an apartment building by Seokchon Lake in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, is seen Sunday afternoon after a fire was extinguished. (Instagram @eunha5264)

A tree near Seokchon Lake in southeastern Seoul caught fire Sunday afternoon, according to the Songpa Fire Station on Monday.

At around 1:40 p.m., firefighters received a report of smoke rising from the base of a roadside tree outside a mixed-use residential building near the lake.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and extinguished the blaze within 10 minutes.

Footage captured by a witness shows a large hole at the base of the tree, with smoke continuing to rise from smoldering embers as a firefighter uses a fire extinguisher to put out the remaining flames.

"Part of the tree was burned, and a discarded cigarette butt may have caused the fire, though the exact cause remains under investigation," an official told The Korea Herald.


cjh@heraldcorp.com