Woman arrested for stealing groceries during Sillim-dong fire

A woman in her 20s has been arrested for stealing groceries from a supermarket inside a commercial building in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, while the building was on fire.

The Seoul Gwanak Police Station said Monday it had apprehended the woman, identified only as A, on theft charges.

A is accused of stealing groceries from a supermarket inside a four-story commercial building in Sillim-dong while a fire broke out there at around 3:23 p.m. Sunday. Some 90 firefighters and 25 pieces of equipment were deployed to the scene, and the blaze was fully extinguished at around 4:06 p.m. — about 40 minutes after it started.

About 130 people were evacuated, but no injuries were reported.

A reportedly stole the items on a sudden impulse, then returned to the supermarket and confessed to the theft. Police plan to investigate the exact circumstances of the incident. A police official said there are no plans to seek an arrest warrant.