Single mom killed with children in failed rescue attempt amid fire

A 30-something mother, who braved into intensive flames to save her two daughters, are found dead with the children.

Fire broke out at a semi-basement home of a woman identified by her last name Oh (age 35) at multiunit villa house in Gwacheon City, Gyeonggi Province, around 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, killing Kim (age 35) and her two daughters (ages 13 and 11), and a 10-year-old daughter of Park (age 36) at a room.

Kim, a student enrolled at an e-learning university at relatively advanced age, visited Oh’s home to let the latter, a close friend, take care of her children, as she was to take field trip on Sunday. Park’s daughter also visited Oh’s due to her friendship with Kim’s daughters.

At the time of accident, three children were sleeping at a bedroom. Kim and Oh drank soju liquor together in the living room. Around midnight, Kim went to bed at the living room, and Oh in her bedroom. An hour later, Oh heard Kim shout "fire," rushed out through the front door, and managed to save her life. However, Kim was found dead with the children near the window in the bedroom after firefighters put out the fire.

Oh told police, “When I came out to the living room upon hearing fire, it was filled will thick smoke and could not afford to think anything.” “Kim is believed to have entered the bedroom to rescue the children, and failed to escape.” Oh, Kim and Park, who became friends through online communities, are divorced or widowed. Police and firefighters judge the fire first erupted at the kitchen given signs of combustion there.