Police Ban 14 People Related to 'Pyeongtaek Frozen Warehouse Construction Site Fire' from Leaving the Country... Accelerating Cause Investigation

'Possibility of Death by Heat or Asphyxiation'
Initial Autopsy Findings of 3 Fallen Firefighters
9-Hour Search of Construction Company and Others... Joint Inspection Next Week

Three firefighters died in the line of duty during an evolution operation at a fire site in a newly constructed construction site in Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do. On the afternoon of the 7th, the police moved the seized items after completing a search and seizure. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The police investigating the fire at a newly constructed cold storage warehouse construction site in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, where three firefighters died in the line of duty, are accelerating their investigation by imposing travel bans on construction-related personnel and conducting raids.

According to the police on the 8th, the Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency's investigation headquarters reportedly imposed travel bans on 14 employees of the construction company and the supervision company the day before.

Along with this, the police dispatched 45 investigators to 12 locations across six companies, including the construction company, supervision company, and subcontractors, conducting raids from 1:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. the previous day, lasting about nine hours.

The police plan to secure construction plans, design drawings, and examine whether safety regulations were followed during the construction process and if there were any violations of related laws.

An on-site investigation to determine the cause of the fire is also expected to take place soon. The fire authorities conducted a building safety inspection around 11 a.m. the previous day and used heavy equipment to clear remaining flames and partially dismantle internal structures. It is reported that no particular issues were found during the safety inspection.

If there are no issues with access, the police plan to conduct a joint investigation with the National Forensic Service and fire authorities as early as the beginning of next week. The joint investigation will focus on the first-floor ignition point of the building, where the fire is presumed to have started.

Meanwhile, the autopsy conducted to determine the exact cause of death of the three fallen firefighters reportedly yielded a preliminary verbal opinion suggesting death due to heat or possible asphyxiation.

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