Police Officer on Vacation Guides Evacuation of Over 200 Citizens from Burning Building

Prevented Damage by Prompt Response After Fire Detection

A third-year police officer on vacation discovered a fire accident and quickly responded by evacuating citizens, preventing a major fire. According to the Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency on the 30th, at around 7:10 p.m. on the 25th, Police Officer Ha Seung-woo of the 5th Mobile Unit happened to find a fire in the restroom ventilation fan on the first floor of a commercial building in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon.

Officer Ha immediately grabbed a powder fire extinguisher and attempted to put out the fire with nearby merchants, but the fire was not completely extinguished. To prevent casualties, he shouted to about 200 building users to "evacuate outside the building" and guided their evacuation. During this process, Officer Ha suffered second-degree burns on his face from falling fire debris.

Daegu Police Agency 5th Mobile Unit Officer Ha Seung-woo is extinguishing a fire using a powder extinguisher together with nearby merchants. / Photo by Daegu Police Agency

Officer Ha was appointed on April 26, 2021, and was visiting Daejeon on leave for a reunion with his colleagues that day. It was reported that the other colleagues were inside a restaurant and did not realize there was a fire.

Officer Ha said, "I just did what was natural," adding, "It is regrettable that the flames were strong and I could not extinguish the fire completely. I will continue to do my best to protect the lives and property of citizens."

Police Officer Ha Seung-woo of the 5th Mobile Unit, Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency. / Provided by Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency

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