Mother falls to her death trying to escape blaze started by neighbour using aerosol to incinerate insect

Flames can be seen coming from the apartment block in Osan, South Korea.

A mother died after a neighbour set fire to their apartment building while trying to kill a cockroach using an aerosol can.

The victim fell to her death during the blaze after passing her 2-month-old baby to residents in the next-door block in Osan, South Korea, according to local media.

Her husband survived by climbing to the neighbouring building after the fire broke out at 5.30am local time on Tuesday.

The woman who started the fire, who is in her thirties, was trying to kill a cockroach in her home by setting aerosol spray alight, but the flames spread to a bed and a pile of rubbish.

Video of the scene showed smoke pouring from the five-storey building as firefighters positioned a ladder to rescue residents of its 32 apartments. At least eight people suffered smoke inhalation and the fire took 40 minutes to put out.

Police in Osan said they would be seeking an arrest warrant to charge the woman with negligent arson and involuntary manslaughter.

The mother fell to her death after she and her husband opened their window and tried to climb across to the neighbouring building.

She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead at around 10.40am local time.

In 2016, an American man started a fire at his home while using bug spray and a lighter to create a flamethrower to kill cockroaches.

And in 2018, an Australian man set fire to his kitchen, also while trying to kill a cockroach.

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