Daegu 'Seomun Market Nightmare' Nearly Repeated... Early Fire Extinguished by 'Sprinkler'

Fire at Seomun Market District 2 Store on the Morning of the 11th... Underground Merchant Witnesses and Swift Action Lead to Full Extinguishment

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] A fire broke out in the morning at Seomun Market, a representative traditional market in Daegu, ahead of the Chuseok peak season, but a tense situation was averted as the store's sprinkler system activated in time to extinguish the fire.

According to the Daegu Fire Headquarters and Daegu City on the 11th, at around 7:30 a.m. on the 11th, a fire of unknown cause broke out at a bag store in Seomun Market District 2, Daesin-dong, Jung-gu.

At that time, Min Byung-seon (47), who was preparing to open a restaurant on the basement first floor, noticed the smell of burning and discovered the fire at the store while checking the first floor. When Min witnessed the fire, the sprinkler system installed on the ceiling was already operating.

Min reported the fire to the fire station and, along with other merchants, used fire extinguishers placed throughout the market to put out the fire. Thirty-seven fire trucks and 81 firefighters were dispatched in response to the report, and when the first responders arrived at the scene within two minutes, the fire had already been completely extinguished.

Seomun Market had experienced major fires in 2005 and 2016, so the merchants there breathed a sigh of relief, recalling the memories of those large-scale fires.

Min Byung-seon, who first witnessed and helped extinguish the fire, said, "I realized once again the importance of fire safety equipment, and knowing the locations of fire extinguishers in advance was a great help," adding, "I am very relieved that it did not lead to major damage."

A Daegu Fire Headquarters official stated, "Some parts of the store were damaged, and there was damage caused by the sprinkler system, but fortunately, there were no casualties," and added, "The exact cause of the fire is under investigation."

The scene of the '1975 Daegu Seomun Market Fire Suppression' released by the National Archives of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in November 2017.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.