Fire at Gimpo Senior Daycare Center Building... Over 130 Safely Evacuated Thanks to Prompt Response

Firefighters are conducting extinguishing operations in the building where the fire broke out.

[Asia Economy (Gimpo) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] A fire broke out in a building with over 130 people, but it was later revealed that the fire was extinguished without a single casualty thanks to the calm response of the staff at the 'Elderly Daycare Center' inside the building.

In particular, it was confirmed that about 70 people, including 56 elderly residents and 15 disabled individuals, were together in the center, which could have resulted in significant casualties. The fire department decided to award the center with an institutional commendation.

According to the Gimpo Fire Station on the 15th, the fire started at around 4:06 PM the previous day in the kitchen of a pub on the first floor of an elderly daycare center building in Bukbyeon-dong, Gimpo City.

The smoke spread from the fire, putting the elderly and disabled people in the elderly daycare center on the 2nd and 4th floors and the disabled vocational training facility on the 3rd floor in a dangerous situation. At that time, the daycare center had 56 elderly residents and 24 staff members, the 2nd-floor disabled vocational training facility had 15 disabled individuals, 5 non-disabled individuals, and about 20 staff members.

However, the center staff calmly carried or supported 23 elderly people with mobility difficulties and evacuated them outside via the emergency stairs. The center staff also helped other vulnerable individuals evacuate.

The firefighters who arrived on the scene succeeded in extinguishing the fire at around 4:16 PM, just 10 minutes after the fire broke out, thanks to their efforts. Additionally, all 128 people inside the building safely evacuated.

The Gimpo Fire Station decided to award the center with an institutional commendation for playing a major role in preventing casualties.

Kim Jeong-sook, the center director, said, "Following the principles and responding according to the training conducted regularly with the fire station was a great help."

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