Prayer candle leads to fire and death of co-worker
A religious ritual turned into a tragedy for a 21-year-old Asian woman after a candle she lit for prayer was left burning on a wooden table, causing a fire that killed her co-worker.
The woman was living in an apartment with three other female co-workers. At around 11am or 11:30am, she went into her room to pray according to her religion. She lit a candle made from barley and rice flour on a small wooden table. She said she normally left the candle burning throughout the day.
She later left the room and sat in the living room with another co-worker, while the victim was in the apartment.
At around 2:15pm or 2:19pm, one of the women received a call from the victim asking for help. She said the room was on fire while she was in the bathroom.
The co-worker went to the room and saw the fire. She also heard the victim shouting, “Fire, fire.” The women tried to help her, but the flames and heavy smoke made it impossible to reach her.
The building’s security guard heard the fire alarm and went to the fifth floor. He saw three women outside a burning apartment, who told him that one of their co-workers was still inside. He immediately called the emergency services.
Firefighters and ambulances arrived and put out the fire. The victim was taken to hospital for treatment but later died.
During the investigation and before the court, the defendant admitted that she had lit the candle for prayer. She said she did not place a plate under the candle even though she knew the table was made of wood, and she did not put the candle out before leaving the room.
She said she did not expect the candle to cause a fire and admitted that she was responsible for her co-worker’s death. She also said she did not know how to deal with the fire or how to rescue the victim.
Firefighters said the fire damaged the bedroom and its contents, while heat and smoke also damaged the apartment. A crime scene report said the fire was likely caused by a heat source that had been left burning on the wooden table.
Court ruling
The First High Criminal Court of Appeal upheld a lower court ruling sentencing the woman to one year in prison and ordering her permanent deportation after serving her sentence.
The court found her responsible for causing the victim’s death by mistake, as well as causing the fire in the company-owned apartment.
The court said the evidence included the woman’s admission before the court, witness statements, the victim’s forensic medical report and the Civil Defence report. It said the evidence supported the original judgment.
