A 50-year-old woman was fined for accidentally starting a large fire with a cigarette butt at a shopping complex in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon. The fire, which broke out in a building housing a Lotte Cinema, affected a total of 36 stores, with one of them suffering severe damage due to complete destruction.

**Total of 36 stores affected**

On the 18th, the Incheon District Court, presided over by Judge Gong Woo-jin, imposed a fine of 10 million won on Ms. A (51, female), who was indicted on charges of arson.

Ms. A is accused of carelessly flicking a lit cigarette while smoking around 11:34 AM on April 3, 2023, at a building located in Bupyeong-dong, Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, which led to the fire.

**CCTV Evidence and Court's Judgment**

Judge Gong pointed out in the ruling that "The defendant was smoking right in front of the ignition point and flicked the cigarette butt with her hand. There is confirmation of a scene where embers or ash from the cigarette fell toward the direction of the ignition point," emphasizing Ms. A's negligence.

In particular, it was judged that "the defendant left the spot without confirming whether the cigarette ash had completely extinguished."

The court described the process of the fire as follows: "Approximately five minutes after the defendant finished smoking and left the spot, faint smoke was detected from the ignition point, and about ten minutes later, the occurrence of thick smoke and flames was confirmed," adding that "the ember from the flicked cigarette butt can be accepted as the direct cause of the fire in this incident."

At the time, there were a total of 47 stores in the building, and as a result of the fire, 36 stores suffered various levels of damage.

Image source: A fire occurred around 11:51 AM on April 3, 2023, in the building housing Lotte Cinema in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, prompting the fire authorities to issue a Level 1 response and extinguish the fire. / News1, reference photo to aid understanding of the article / gettyimagesbank