Gwangju Seobu Fire Station Urges Installation of K-Class Fire Extinguishers in Restaurant Kitchens

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] The Western Fire Station of Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 11th that it is urging caution to prevent restaurant fires as the risk of fire increases during the winter season.

Restaurant fires mostly occur in places that use a lot of oil, such as Chinese restaurants and chicken shops, where sparks generated during cooking ignite the grease stuck to hoods, ducts, and walls. Even if a powder extinguisher is used to put out cooking oil flames, the fire often reignites, making it difficult to extinguish.

K-class fire extinguishers are made primarily with a wet chemical agent that forms a film on cooking oil fires, lowering the temperature of the combustible material (cooking oil) and cutting off oxygen supply, allowing for effective extinguishing.

The mandatory installation targets for K-class fire extinguishers include kitchens in restaurants, multi-use facilities, hotels, dormitories, elderly and children's facilities, medical facilities, office buildings, factories, funeral homes, educational and research facilities, and correctional and military facilities. Kitchens under 25㎡ require one K-class extinguisher, while kitchens over 25㎡ must have one K-class extinguisher plus an additional powder extinguisher for every 25㎡ exceeding that area.

A fire station official stated, “Since self-employed business owners are facing difficulties due to COVID-19, we will do our best to prevent fire damage through fire safety education, external publicity, and other methods.”

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