Gwangju Bukbu Fire Station Minimizes Fire Damage with Residential Fire Safety Equipment

Photos of the fire scene at a one-room apartment in Bonchon-dong around 15:29 on the 24th. Photo by Gwangju Bukbu Fire Station.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Cho Hyung-joo] Gwangju Bukbu Fire Station (Chief Kim Hee-chul) announced on the 25th that a fire broke out at a one-room apartment in Bonchon-dong around 15:29 on the 24th, and the quick initial extinguishing by the resident who noticed the fire through the residential fire alarm prevented major damage.

According to the fire station, smoke from the fire caused by carelessness on the balcony inside the one-room apartment triggered the fire alarm installed in the living room. The resident inside the room heard the alarm sound and used a fire extinguisher in the house to perform initial extinguishing, minimizing the damage.

The fire was completely extinguished by the dispatched 119 firefighters' safety measures, and there were no casualties. Property damage amounted to approximately 479,000 KRW, including the loss of a washing machine on the balcony and partial scorching of the wall.

In particular, since a gas boiler was also installed at the fire location, if the fire alarm had not been quickly noticed, there was a risk of the fire spreading into a major blaze.

Fire alarms must be installed on the ceiling with at least one in each compartmented room such as bedrooms, living rooms, and kitchens within the house. The battery life is approximately 10 years, and regular checks can be done by pressing the operation check button.

Fire extinguishers must be installed at one or more per household or floor. For powder extinguishers, the service life should be checked through the manufacturing date, and extinguishers older than 10 years should be discarded or replaced.

Kang Wang-gu, Director of the Prevention and Safety Division, said, “As can be seen from this case, residential fire safety facilities can respond quickly in the event of a fire in single-family (multi-family, multi-unit, row) houses.” He added, “We hope every household is equipped to protect precious lives and property.”

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