A cigarette butt [123RF]
A cigarette butt [123RF]

A court has ordered a rice delivery driver and his employer to pay substantial damages after an improperly discarded cigarette butt sparked a fire that destroyed a food-ingredient warehouse.

The Jeonju District Court's civil division, presided over by Judge Im Hyeon-jun, ruled Monday in favor of warehouse owner A in a damages suit filed against delivery driver B and the owner of the delivery company.

The court ordered the defendants to pay 270 million won ($190,000) plus accrued interest to the plaintiff.

According to the ruling, the case stemmed from a fire that broke out on Aug. 2, 2023, at a food-ingredient warehouse in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.

B had finished delivering rice and smoked a cigarette outside the warehouse before tossing the still-lit butt onto a nearby pile of cardboard boxes and leaving the scene.

The fire spread from the butt and burned down the 323-square-meter warehouse along with all the food ingredients inside, causing about 490 million won in property damage.

B admitted to smoking at the scene but denied any connection between the discarded butt and the fire, refusing to accept legal liability.

A subsequently filed suit seeking 530 million won in compensation from B, covering real estate, personal property and lost business income.

The court found that B's negligence caused the fire but also assigned partial responsibility to A, adjusting the damages accordingly.

"Police and fire department reports at the time indicated it was reasonable to conclude the fire was caused by the cigarette ember discarded by the defendant," the court said. "Even under the court's own independent review, it is reasonable to find that the fire originated from the defendant's actions."

The court added, however, that flammable materials had been left unattended near the warehouse entrance, the area was commonly known as a smoking spot, and the warehouse — built with sandwich panel construction — lacked any fire-prevention or suppression equipment. Taking those factors into account, the court capped the defendants' liability at 60 percent.

Beyond the civil suit, B was also indicted on charges of negligent fire-setting and received a fine of 5 million won ($3,520) in the first instance, a verdict he has since appealed.


husn7@heraldcorp.com