During Chuseok Holiday, Daily 119 Dispatches Decrease by 19% Compared to Last Year

Fire Agency Urges Caution as Fire Risk Increases with Growing Temperature Differences

Daegu Dalseo-gu Seongdang-dong Commercial Building Fire Scene.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] During the five-day Chuseok holiday, the daily number of fire, rescue, and emergency medical service dispatches decreased by 19% compared to last year.

According to the National Fire Agency on the 5th, from the 30th of last month to the 4th of this month, the total number of fire, rescue, and emergency medical service dispatches nationwide during the holiday period was 36,000, averaging 6,120 per day.

This is a 19% decrease compared to the average daily dispatches of 7,565 (total 30,261) during the four-day Chuseok holiday last year.

During this holiday period, fires occurred at an average of 71 cases per day, a 2% decrease compared to 74 cases last year. Rescue dispatches averaged 1,719 per day, down 29% from 2,403 last year, and emergency medical dispatches averaged 4,330 per day, down 15% from 5,088 last year.

Additionally, the number of people rescued averaged 210 per day, and the number of emergency transports was 4,435 per day, decreasing by 31% and 15% respectively compared to last year.

The number of deaths caused by fires decreased by 20%, from 0.75 per day to 0.6 per day, and property damage also decreased by 58%, totaling 1.962 billion KRW.

Major fires included an incident on the 3rd of this month in Daegu, where a fire presumed to be arson broke out at the entrance of an office, resulting in the deaths of all three people inside the office. In Busan, on the 30th of last month, a fire occurred at a market store's meter, but fortunately, the fire alarm activated, allowing six people to evacuate quickly without casualties.

In Gangwon Province, two people died after falling while collecting mushrooms in the mountains, and on October 2nd in Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do, a man in his 60s and a man in his 30s who were paragliding got caught on power lines and fell from a height of 5 meters, sustaining minor injuries.

A National Fire Agency official said, "It is fortunate that there were no major accidents during the Chuseok holiday, but as the temperature difference between day and night increases these days, the use of heating devices is rising, increasing the risk of fire," urging caution.

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