Frozen Water Meter Caught Fire Due to Improper Defrosting... "Use a Warm Towel Evenly"

At around 12:59 PM on the 23rd, a fire broke out while an apartment management office employee in Guro-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul was thawing a frozen water meter using an industrial heat gun.

The fire was extinguished on its own after 8 minutes, at 1:07 PM. There were no casualties, but some insulation material around the water meter was partially damaged.

Due to the cold wave sweeping across the country, frozen water meters have been occurring frequently in Seoul and other regions.

On the 18th, amid a severe cold wave, an official at the Northern Metropolitan Waterworks Office in Gangbuk-gu, Seoul, is organizing frozen water meters. Seoul City has issued the 'Warning' level for frozen water meters for the first time this winter. The 'Frozen Water Meter Warning' corresponds to the third level out of the four-stage frozen water meter forecast system: Interest - Caution - Warning - Serious. It is issued when the daily minimum temperature remains below minus 10 degrees Celsius for two or more consecutive days. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Seoul City and others recommend checking the condition of insulation materials to prevent water meter freezing during winter, and replacing them with new ones if they are wet or damaged.

If the water meter is frozen, it is advised to evenly thaw the meter and surrounding pipes using a warm wet towel. Since the meter may be damaged, it is best to avoid using open flames such as torches, hair dryers, heat guns, or water hotter than 50 degrees Celsius.

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