The Body Reacts First to Flames... A 20-Year Veteran Firefighter Who Prevented Major Damage

Fire Lieutenant Park Minjae: "Please Make Sure to Equip Your Vehicle with a Fire Extinguisher"

A veteran firefighter who happened to witness a fire breaking out in a vehicle due to a traffic accident quickly extinguished it with a fire extinguisher, preventing major damage.

According to the Gangwon Provincial Fire Headquarters on the 25th, at around 11:20 a.m. that day, a passenger car collided with a dump truck ahead on National Road No. 38 in Changwon-ri, Nam-myeon, Yeongwol-gun, heading toward Taebaek. Flames and smoke erupted from the passenger car's engine compartment due to the accident.

At that moment, Fire Lieutenant Park Min-jae (47) of the Fire Headquarters' Special Response Team Emergency Mobile Unit 3, who was behind the national road, witnessed the scene and grabbed two fire extinguishers from his trunk, running to the accident site.

The passenger car driver had abrasions on his face but was not seriously injured and had evacuated the vehicle on his own.

National Road Vehicle Fire Site After Evolution Work Completed. Yonhap News, Gangwon Provincial Fire Headquarters.

Lieutenant Park sprayed the fire extinguisher toward the burning passenger car's engine compartment for about five minutes. As the flames nearly subsided, another citizen who witnessed the fire also rushed over with a fire extinguisher to help extinguish the fire.

Meanwhile, fire trucks and police cars arrived at the scene, and the situation was resolved without major damage.

Lieutenant Park, appointed in 2004, is known for his active role in numerous fire, rescue, and accident scenes since his appointment and received the Presidential Award at the 2015 Korea Public Officials Awards.

Lieutenant Park said, "Due to the amendment of the Firefighting Facilities Installation and Management Act, from the 1st of next month, the mandatory installation of vehicle fire extinguishers in passenger cars with five or more seats will be enforced," adding, "I hope citizens will be sure to equip their vehicles with fire extinguishers to prepare for any possible fires or accidents."

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