SEOUL/DAEGU– A fire apparently caused by arson killed seven people and injured 50 others at an office building in the southeastern city of Daegu on Thursday, officials said.

Police pinpointed a 53-year-old man as a suspected arsonist responsible for the blaze based on CCTV footage. The man was killed at the scene, they said.

The fire started at around 10:55 a.m. on the second floor of the five-story building housing lawyers’ offices in Daegu, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the firefighting officials.

The fire killed seven people, including an attorney and five assistants from a law office on the second floor.

Fifty others were hurt, suffering burns and inhaling smoke, and 30 of them were sent to nearby hospitals. Many others were evacuated to safety.

Police suspect the alleged arsonist set fire to a lawyer’s office handling a case involving him.

“We are looking into the exact motive after confirming CCTV footage showing him leaving his home earlier in the day carrying something,” a police official said.

Police said the suspect appears to have been disgruntled with his loss in a lawsuit that he filed seeking to reclaim money invested in a new residential and commercial building project in the city.

CCTV footage showed the suspect entering the building holding an unidentified object covered with a white cloth. Police suspect the object may have been flammable material he used to set the fire.

Police said sparks flared within 23 seconds after he entered the lawyer’s office on the second floor.

The building, located close to a district court, houses many lawyers’ offices. The building had sprinklers only in the basement, police said.

The fire was fully extinguished in 20 minutes, with some 60 fire trucks and 160 firefighting personnel sent to the scene.

Source: Yonhap News Agency