Police Expand Investigation Headquarters to 73 Members for Pyeongtaek New Construction Site Fire (Comprehensive)

Chief Kim Kwang-sik, Head of Investigation Division at Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency
"Investigation on Fire Cause and Overall Site Safety Management"… National Police Agency's Focused Command
Major Flames Controlled After 16 Hours

On the afternoon of the 6th, a firefighter who went missing at a new construction site fire in Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do, is being transported by ambulance. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The police investigating the fire accident at a newly constructed refrigerated warehouse construction site in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, which claimed the lives of three firefighters, are upgrading the existing dedicated investigation team to an investigation headquarters.

The National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency announced on the 6th, "Considering the importance of the matter, we have decided to upgrade the investigation system from a dedicated team to an investigation headquarters."

The investigation headquarters will be organized with Kim Kwang-sik, head of the investigation division at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, as the chief, and 73 members including the violent crime investigation unit. Previously, the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency had formed a dedicated team of 40 members, which has now been expanded.

A National Investigation Headquarters official said, "Through focused investigation command, we will strictly investigate not only the cause of the fire but also the overall safety management of the construction site."

The investigation headquarters is expected to begin a joint on-site investigation with related organizations such as the National Forensic Service and the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters as soon as the flames at the site are completely extinguished and the safety inspection is completed to determine the cause of the fire. Subsequently, along with determining the cause of the fire, they plan to check whether safety rules were followed and whether any related laws were violated by the construction site personnel.

The fire that broke out around 11:46 p.m. the previous day at the refrigerated warehouse construction site in Cheongbuk-eup, Pyeongtaek, was largely extinguished at 3:57 p.m. on the same day after about 16 hours. During this process, three firefighters who were involved in the extinguishing operation tragically lost their lives.

The fire authorities have currently lifted the response level 2 and are conducting mop-up operations. However, due to the nature of the construction site, which contains many flammable materials, it is expected to take more time until the fire is completely extinguished.

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