Two Firefighters Aged 27 and 35 Die in Mungyeong Fire Incident

Engulfed in flames while searching for a person and checking the department store
Possibility of falling inside the building
"Doing our best to extinguish the fire... a tragic situation"

At around 7:47 PM, two firefighters became trapped while extinguishing a fire of unknown cause at a meat processing plant in Singi-dong, Mungyeong-si, Gyeongbuk Province.
[Image provided by Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters] [Image source: Yonhap News Agency]

Two rescue workers who became trapped while responding to a fire at a meat processing plant in Mungyeong, Gyeongbuk, were ultimately found dead. The fallen firefighters were Kim (27), a fire lieutenant, and Park (35), a fire sergeant, both affiliated with the Mungyeong Fire Station 119 Rescue and Emergency Center.

At 4:14 a.m. on the 1st, the Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters recovered the body of one rescue worker who had been trapped and died while extinguishing the fire at a meat processing plant in the Shingi 2nd General Industrial Complex, Singi-dong, Mungyeong-si, Gyeongbuk. Earlier that day, at 1:01 a.m., the body of another rescue worker was recovered from the third-floor floor of the building that collapsed due to the fire and was transported to a hospital.

On the morning of the 1st, fire authorities are extinguishing a fire at a factory in Singi-dong, Mungyeong-si, Gyeongbuk. [Image source=Yonhap News]

When found, the two rescue workers were located about 5 to 7 meters apart. It was reported that the search was difficult because many structures were piled on top of the bodies.

The fire authorities said that both individuals were in a condition where their identities could not be confirmed with the naked eye, so DNA testing will be conducted to accurately confirm their identities. Bae Jong-hyeok, chief of the Mungyeong Fire Station in Gyeongbuk, said at a briefing, "The trapped rescue workers were deployed wearing identical uniforms, making identification difficult," adding, "What is clear is that the workers did their best to suppress the fire, and this is a very tragic incident."

On the morning of the 1st, at a factory fire site in Singi-dong, Mungyeong-si, Gyeongbuk, the fire department is rescuing firefighters trapped while extinguishing the fire. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Fire Lieutenant Kim was appointed in July 2019, and Fire Sergeant Park, a former Special Forces sergeant, was appointed in February 2022. They were conducting a search for survivors and checking fire points on the third floor of the building in a four-person team with two other team members when they became engulfed in flames and trapped. Just before escaping, as the fire rapidly spread, they attempted to evacuate via the stairs but apparently were unable to escape in time.

The fire authorities are not ruling out the possibility that they fell due to the collapse of the floor around the stairwell. During the search, part of the building collapsed once, forcing the rescue workers to evacuate urgently and conduct a safety inspection before re-entering.

The bereaved families are waiting at a nearby village hall with psychological counseling support teams. The fire authorities stated that an official funeral will be held under the auspices of the National Fire Agency.

At around 7:47 PM, two firefighters became trapped while extinguishing a fire of unknown cause at a meat processing plant in Singi-dong, Mungyeong-si, Gyeongbuk Province.
[Image provided by Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters] [Image source: Yonhap News Agency]

The fire broke out at around 7:47 p.m. the previous day. The initial ignition is presumed to have started on the 4th floor of the factory building. As the flames spread, the building collapsed, escalating into a large-scale fire that triggered a Level 2 emergency response. Level 2 response involves the full mobilization of equipment from 8 to 11 nearby fire stations. Even firefighters not on duty at the time are mobilized. The major flames were brought under control around 12:20 a.m. that day.

It was confirmed that five factory personnel evacuated during the fire. One of them inhaled smoke and received hospital treatment. The Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters deployed 47 pieces of equipment and 331 personnel to the fire scene to carry out extinguishing operations. The police and fire authorities plan to conduct a joint investigation to determine the cause of the fire and the circumstances of the accident.

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