Women’s Flamethrower Attempt to Kill Cockroach Sparks Deadly Fire in South Korea

A shocking incident in Osan, South Korea, has left the nation stunned after a young woman accidentally killed her neighbour while attempting to kill a cockroach. The woman, in her 20s, used a makeshift flamethrower—combining a lighter with a flammable spray—to burn the insect. However, the flames quickly spread across the apartment, igniting household items and escalating into a fire that engulfed the building. This bizarre incident highlights the dangers of extreme methods of pest control, especially flamethrowers, which can easily cause uncontrollable fires.

Tragically, a woman in her 30s, a Chinese national living on the fifth floor with her husband and two-month-old baby, lost her life in the fire. As smoke and flames blocked escape routes, the couple handed their baby to a neighbour in the adjacent building. While the husband managed to escape safely, the woman fell during her attempt to follow and later died from her injuries in hospital. The deadly apartment fire serves as a grim reminder of the severe risks posed by homemade flamethrowers and unsafe pest control measures.

The apartment building, which contains commercial units on the ground floor and over 30 residential units above, left multiple residents affected by the fire. At least eight people were treated for smoke inhalation, and authorities are now investigating the incident. Police have stated that they plan to seek an arrest warrant for the woman responsible, who could face charges of causing death by negligence and starting a fire. This South Korea apartment fire incident underscores the importance of safe and regulated methods for dealing with pests like cockroaches.

Social media trends have contributed to the rise of extreme methods for killing cockroaches, including homemade flamethrowers and blowtorches. Similar incidents have occurred globally, emphasizing the hazards of such actions. In 2018, an Australian man accidentally set his kitchen on fire using a homemade flamethrower. In 2023, a Japanese man blew up his apartment while attempting to kill a cockroach with excessive insecticide, suffering minor injuries in the blast. These incidents, including the recent South Korea apartment fire, show that using flamethrowers or unsafe tools for pest control can have deadly consequences.

Authorities continue to investigate the Osan apartment fire and warn residents about the dangers of attempting extreme measures to kill insects. Experts stress that fire-based pest control methods, such as flamethrowers, are highly dangerous and can result in serious injuries, fatalities, and property damage. The South Korea apartment fire incident has sparked national conversation about safety, responsibility, and the unexpected risks of viral social media trends promoting unsafe insect-killing methods.