Building Where 52 Rescued from Fire Last Month Catches Fire Again... Police Officer Runs with Fire Extinguisher

Successful Initial Firefighting and Evacuation

Another fire broke out in the building where 52 people were rescued last month, but it was revealed that quick police response prevented multiple casualties.

According to Yonhap News on the 3rd, Sergeant Kim Seon-woo and Police Officer Kim Jung-il of the Gojan Police Substation under the Ansan Danwon Police Station in Gyeonggi Province received a fire dispatch order from the 112 situation room while patrolling crime-prone areas around 7 p.m. the previous day.

Police officer running with a fire extinguisher. Provided by Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency

The fire broke out on the signboard on the first floor of a six-story commercial building in Gojan-dong, Danwon-gu, Ansan City. This building was the site where a fire occurred in the early hours of the 17th of last month, rescuing 52 people.

Upon receiving the fire report, Sergeant Kim Seon-woo and Police Officer Kim Jung-il arrived at the scene at 7:04 p.m., just two minutes later. Listening to residents and looking at the building’s exterior wall, they saw flames rising among tangled wires near the signboard on the second floor.

They immediately used a nearby portable fire extinguisher and the extinguisher inside the patrol car to suppress the initial fire upon discovering the flames and smoke. Thanks to Sergeant Kim and Officer Kim’s active fire suppression efforts, the fire was extinguished in about 30 seconds.

Sergeant Kim went up to the second floor via the stairs, and fortunately, during the previous fire, firefighters had broken the window with an axe to ventilate heat and smoke, allowing him to directly spray the extinguisher at the ignition point where flames were rising. Officer Kim, who was dispatched together, turned on the broadcasting equipment in the patrol car and repeatedly announced, "Please evacuate immediately. This is a fire situation." He entered a restaurant on the first floor and safely evacuated nine customers inside.

Fire trucks were allowed immediate access as nearby vehicles were cleared. Sergeant Kim informed the firefighters of the ignition point and the measures taken, then handed over the scene to the fire authorities.

Police evacuating customers. Provided by Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency

Sergeant Kim told Yonhap News, "As a result of continuous on-site preparedness training following last month’s fire incident, I think we were able to take appropriate action," adding, "It was fortunate that the motel inside the building was closed due to last month’s fire, and there were not many building users."

Earlier, at around 3:38 a.m. on the 17th of last month, a fire broke out in a restaurant on the first floor of this building. The building reportedly houses multiple restaurants, entertainment establishments, and lodging facilities. The Gyeonggi Province Fire and Disaster Headquarters issued a Level 2 response due to concerns about multiple casualties, rescuing 52 people and extinguishing the fire at around 5:52 a.m., about two hours after the fire started.

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