Major Fire at 33-Story Residential-Commercial Complex in Ulsan... 53 Rescued, 49 Slightly Injured (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] A large fire broke out in a 33-story residential-commercial complex building in Ulsan, and the fire authorities are currently extinguishing it. Most of the flames have been controlled, and 53 people trapped on the rooftop and inside the building were rescued. Aside from 49 minor injuries such as smoke inhalation and abrasions, no additional casualties have been confirmed.

According to the Fire Agency and Ulsan Fire Headquarters, a fire report was received around 11:14 PM on the 8th at Samhwan Arneuvo, a residential-commercial apartment located in Dal-dong, Damgu, Ulsan.

This building is a residential-commercial complex with basement floors 1 to 2 used as parking lots, floors 1 to 3 as commercial and business facilities, and floors 4 to 33 as apartments. A total of 127 households reside in the apartments.

The fire authorities arrived at the scene at 11:20 PM, just 6 minutes after the report, and began firefighting efforts. However, as the fire spread across the entire exterior wall of the apartment, a Level 2 response was issued at 11:48 PM, mobilizing 26 fire trucks and 97 firefighters.

Many residents evacuated on their own, but as the flames spread, 26 residents who had taken refuge on the rooftop and 27 residents trapped on the 12th and 28th floors?totaling 53 people?were all safely rescued by the fire rescue team. Additionally, 49 residents who suffered from smoke inhalation or abrasions were transported to nearby hospitals.

A Fire Agency official stated, "The fire spread along the building's exterior wall but was almost extinguished as of the morning of the 9th. Initially, there were many requests for rescue inside the building, so firefighters checked each unit and confirmed that there were no additional injuries or abnormalities."

The Fire Agency initially believed the fire started on the terrace exterior wall of the 3rd floor, but since there was a report of fire on the 12th floor, a detailed investigation will be conducted after the fire is completely extinguished.

On the day of the fire, strong winds were blowing in Ulsan, and the lower exterior walls of the building were finished with dryvit (a method of attaching styrofoam insulation to concrete walls), which is believed to have caused the fire to spread rapidly from the lower floors to the top floors.

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