Watch your cat!- South Korea issues warning after house fires
But it probably wasn't a cat that started the fire in parliament.
Image: Eric Gaillard
Who let the cats out?
Fire department officials have warned pet owners in South Korea to be more vigilant of their cats after more than 100 house fires were reported in the past three years.
According to CNN, the warning comes as Seoul’s Metropolitan Fire and Disaster headquarters estimated 107 house fires were caused by cats between January 2019 and November 2021.
It said many of the cats managed to turn on electric stoves with their paws while their owners were out.
In the recorded incidents, four people were injured, and often the pets themselves do not survive.
Speaking to the Korea Herald, Chung Gyo-chul, an official working at the department, said: “Cat-started fires are continuing to be reported. We advise pet owners to pay extra attention as a fire could spread widely when no-one is at home.”
The American Humane Advisory advised cat owners to “put covers on or remove stove knobs and discourage climbing in the kitchen”.
“An accidental nudge of a stove knob is the number one cause of house fires started by pets. By preventing your pet from interacting with a stove, you can take a big step towards preventing fires,” it said.