Gwangju Seobu Fire Station, the Main Culprit of Construction Site Fires: 'Small Sparks'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] The Western Fire Station of Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 28th that special caution is required to prevent fires caused by carelessness during welding and cutting work at construction sites.

As winter passes and the warm season approaches, construction sites have recently increased, raising the risk of fires caused by sparks during welding and cutting work at construction sites.

According to the Fire Agency, in the past five years (2016?2020), there have been 5,909 fires caused by sparks during welding work, resulting in 469 casualties (29 deaths and 440 injuries).

When sparks fly during welding or cutting work and enter insulation materials, fires may ignite after a considerable amount of time has passed, often going unnoticed until the fire breaks out.

Accordingly, the fire station is strengthening on-site guidance for large construction sites to ensure strict compliance with fire prevention rules such as designating fire watchers during welding and cutting work and implementing measures to prevent spark scattering at welding sites, as well as conducting surprise inspections and promoting various policies.

Moon Hee-jun, chief of the Western Fire Station, said, “Above all, the interest and efforts of those involved in construction sites in fire prevention are important,” and added, “Please thoroughly review the risks before welding and cutting work, install fire extinguishers, and take measures to prevent spark scattering using fireproof blankets to ensure thorough fire prevention.”

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