LEAD) Busan shooting range blaze started in front of shooting booth: police

((ATTN: ADDS probe results in bottom para)
BUSAN, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- A tragic fire that engulfed an indoor shooting range
in Busan on Nov. 14, killing 15 people, was started when flammable material in
front of the range's No. 1 shooting booth exploded, police said Monday.

"We have tentatively concluded that the point of ignition was near the first
shooting booth where flammable materials were piled up," said Kim Young-shik, the
chief police investigator of the incident, at a press briefing.
"Flames, stray bullets or splinters ignited by a gunshot are believed to have
caused a spark that ignited the flammables like sound-proof sponges deep inside
the shooting range and swept through the entire facility."
The fire in South Korea's second largest city also shocked Japan. Ten of the
victims were Japanese tourists who were at the shooting range as part of a
sightseeing program.
Kim noted that the initial explosion was spotted by a closed circuit camera
installed in front of the first shooting booth.
Police had initially said that the fire likely started from a sofa at a lounge
near the entrance to the range.
Right after the incident, President Lee Myung-bak expressed condolences over the
deaths of the Japanese tourists and promised to take measures to prevent the
recurrence of a similar incident in the future.
Police said that they have sought arrest warrants for the owner and the manager
of the shooting range on charges of homicide. They are accused of managing the
facility poorly, eventually leading to the tragic incident, police investigators
noted.
brk@yna.co.kr
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