"Evacuate Quickly" Outlet Employee in His 40s Who Helped Evacuate Until the End Unconscious

Trapped in Smoke Spread While Helping Evacuate
Hospitalized and Under Treatment

On the morning of the 26th, a fire broke out at Daejeon Hyundai Outlet, resulting in 8 casualties. The photo shows thick black smoke rising during the early stages of the fire. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Park, a man in his 40s who was rescued from the fire at Daejeon Hyundai Outlet, reportedly lost consciousness after helping other employees evacuate until the very end.

The Fire Agency announced on the 26th that Park, an employee of the disaster prevention center who was the first to be rescued at the fire scene of Hyundai Premium Outlet in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, which broke out at 7:45 a.m., struggled to reduce fire damage and assist employee evacuation immediately after the fire started.

Park, who was rescued around 8:48 a.m., about 50 minutes after the fire broke out, in the underground first-floor changing room, is known to have checked the normal operation of fire safety equipment right after the fire and issued evacuation instructions to other employees via broadcast. Afterwards, Park was unable to escape as smoke rapidly spread inside the underground first-floor parking lot, making it difficult to secure visibility.

He was rescued by the 119 rescue team in a state of cardiac arrest and was transported to a hospital for treatment. Although he has regained spontaneous breathing, he is reported to be unconscious.

Lee Seung-han, head of the on-site response team at Daejeon Yuseong Fire Station, said, "We confirmed from related personnel that Park immediately made an evacuation broadcast to get people inside the building out as soon as he recognized the fire," adding, "While guiding evacuation by watching the building’s closed-circuit television (CCTV), he himself was unable to evacuate and was rescued by the rescue team."

Meanwhile, a large fire broke out around 7:45 a.m. in the underground parking lot of Hyundai Outlet Daejeon branch, resulting in seven deaths and Park receiving treatment at a hospital. Additionally, 110 people including guests and workers in the nearby lodging building evacuated, causing confusion.

Daejeon Hyundai Premium Outlet is a large-scale store with a total floor area of 129,557㎡ that opened in June 2020. It consists of two basement floors and seven above-ground floors, housing 265 retail facilities, a 100-room hotel, a convention center, and a movie theater.

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