Another Repeated Disaster... Who Protects the Firefighters?

Fire at Pyeongtaek Frozen Warehouse Construction Site
3 Firefighters Lose Lives
High Flammable Materials Make Suppression Difficult
Similar Disasters Recur Annually at Icheon Logistics Warehouse Construction Site and Coupang Logistics Center Fire

On the afternoon of the 6th, a funeral hall for Fire Captain Lee Hyung-seok, who died in the line of duty at the Pyeongtaek new construction site fire, was set up at Jeil Funeral Hall in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Fire Lieutenant Lee Hyung-seok (50). A 27-year veteran firefighter who joined the fire service in 1994, he was in charge of rescue operations in Team 3 of the 119 Rescue Squad at Songtan Fire Station. As the head of a family with a wife and two children, he was a model firefighter who led his juniors kindly and took initiative more than anyone else. Fire Sergeant Park Soo-dong (31) was a groom-to-be getting married this year. Acquaintances remembered him as a diligent young man who always faithfully carried out his duties while in charge of protective work. Fire Corporal Jo Woo-chan (25) was a confident rookie firefighter who served four years in the Special Forces and was appointed last May. He was a courageous young man with excellent physical strength who encouraged those around him. The three firefighters, who quietly worked on the front lines protecting the lives and property of the people, ultimately did not return after fighting the flames at a new cold storage construction site in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

Repeated warehouse and construction site fires have led to tragic losses. Despite similar disasters occurring repeatedly, such as the 2020 fire at a logistics warehouse construction site in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, which killed 38 workers, and last year's fire at the Coupang Deokpyeong Logistics Center that claimed the life of one firefighter, safety awareness at construction sites has hardly improved.

The fire that broke out around 11:46 p.m. on the 5th at the cold storage new construction site in Cheongbuk-eup, Pyeongtaek City, was fully extinguished at 7:19 p.m. on the 6th after about 19 hours. The building under construction, spanning from basement level 1 to the 7th floor above ground with a total floor area of 199,762 square meters, contained large quantities of oxygen tanks and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanks for oxygen welding work, as well as flammable insulation materials, which made firefighting difficult for the fire authorities. The abundance of explosive and flammable materials caused the flames to spread rapidly, producing a large amount of smoke that quickly reached the upper floors of the building.

This fire is similar to previous fires at construction sites and cold storage/logistics warehouses. There is a structural problem that can cause many casualties due to the large amount of flammable materials and the complex interior. The fire that occurred on April 29, 2020, at a logistics warehouse construction site in Moga-myeon, Icheon City, Gyeonggi Province, started when sparks from oxygen welding ignited urethane foam, quickly spreading into a large fire. Thirty-eight workers who could not evacuate in time died in this fire. The Coupang Deokpyeong Logistics Center fire on June 17 last year revealed safety management issues such as the resetting of the disaster prevention system. In particular, the Coupang fire shares similarities with this fire in that one firefighter died while extinguishing the fire as the flames reignited.

These problems repeat every year. According to the National Fire System of the National Fire Agency, there were 1,394 fires in warehouse facilities last year, resulting in 6 deaths and property damage worth 550 billion won. Fires caused by welding negligence, a major cause of construction site fires, also occurred 1,011 times, causing 4 deaths and property damage worth 22 billion won.

The Investigation Headquarters of the Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency (Chief Kim Kwang-sik) plans to conduct a building safety inspection as early as today and carry out a joint on-site investigation next week. An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death of the three firefighters who died in the line of duty. The joint funeral will be held at 9:30 a.m. on the 8th at the Pyeongtaek Ichung Culture and Sports Center as a Gyeonggi Province official funeral. Gyeonggi Province promoted the three fallen firefighters one rank posthumously on the 7th and awarded them the Okjo Geunjo Medal of Honor.

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