Joint Investigation at Bucheon Hotel Fire Site Concludes: "Electrical Cause Likely"

Fire on the 8th Floor of a Hotel in Bucheon on the Night of the 22nd
Joint Investigation by Police, Firefighters, and Related Agencies
"Focusing on Determining the Cause of the Fire"

A fire at a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, resulted in the deaths of seven people, prompting a joint investigation by the police, fire department, and related agencies.

The Bucheon Hotel Fire Investigation Headquarters conducted a joint on-site inspection at the hotel in Bucheon where the fire occurred the previous day, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM on the 23rd. A total of 33 personnel from five organizations, including the police, fire department, National Forensic Service, National Disaster Safety Research Institute, and Korea Electrical Safety Corporation, participated.

On the 23rd, the forensic investigation team is conducting an on-site inspection at the hotel fire scene in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. This fire started around 7:40 PM yesterday evening, resulting in 7 deaths, including guests, and 12 injuries. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

Oh Seok-bong, head of the Forensic Investigation Unit at the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency, stated in a briefing after the inspection, "Today's fire investigation focused on determining the exact cause of the fire on the 8th floor, where the fire was confirmed to have started, as well as clarifying the precise reasons behind the total of 19 casualties following the fire."

He added, "The police will continue to work diligently to identify the exact cause of the fire by combining the results of the on-site investigation with reviews of nearby CCTV footage and witness and reference interviews."

Although the exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, it is presumed to be electrical in nature based on the fact that the fire started in a vacant room. Jo Seon-ho, head of the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters, mentioned at the fire site visited by Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, that "the electrical cause is considered the most likely."

The fire, which broke out around 7 PM the previous day, resulted in seven deaths among guests and others, with 12 people injured, including those seriously hurt. Although the flames did not spread throughout the entire hotel building, toxic gases quickly filled the interior, and the absence of sprinklers in the rooms contributed to the severity of the damage. It is reported that 27 people were staying at the hotel on the day of the fire.

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