[Breaking] Two Wando Firefighters Killed in Line of Duty... Foreign Worker Responsible for Fire Arrested

Court Cites "Seriousness of the Case"; Warrant Issued on April 14

Use of Open Flame in Confined Space... A Classic Case of Human Error

Police Expand Investigation Into Workplace Safety Supervision

Two firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty after a fire broke out at a seafood processing company’s cold storage facility in Wando, South Jeolla Province. The foreign worker in his 30s, who was responsible for causing the fire, has been taken into custody.

According to Wando Police Station in South Jeolla Province on April 14, at around 8:25 p.m. that day, an arrest warrant was issued for a Chinese national in his 30s, identified as Mr. A, on charges of causing the fire through negligence. The court granted the warrant after comprehensively considering the seriousness of the incident and the flight risk, as Mr. A was in the country illegally.

Fire Officer Seungwon Park and Fire Sergeant Taeyoung Noh, who died in the line of duty

Investigations revealed that Mr. A had caused the fire by using a heating device (torch) alone and without authorization inside a confined space coated with flammable material, while attempting to remove epoxy flooring. With Mr. A now in custody, police are focusing their investigation on determining both the circumstances of the fire and whether the company bears responsibility for failing to properly supervise workplace safety.

The fire occurred at around 8:25 a.m. on April 12. Although the first team of firefighters managed to bring the initial flames under control, tragedy struck when they re-entered the facility to perform ‘residual fire clean-up.’ Due to the characteristics of the cold storage, which was insulated with highly flammable materials such as urethane foam, embers inside reignited rapidly. The firefighters became trapped by the rapidly spreading flames and toxic gases.

The stories of the late Fire Lieutenant Seungwon Park and the late Fire Sergeant Taeyoung Noh, who died at the scene, have plunged the local community into deep sorrow. Sergeant Noh was an engaged man just five months away from his wedding, and Lieutenant Park, a father of three, had recently obtained a Level 1 certification in hopes of transferring to the relatively safer position of ‘firefighting drone operator’ to better care for his family, further heightening the sense of loss.

The remains of the deceased were laid to rest at the Daejeon National Cemetery at 4 p.m. that day, amid heartfelt mourning from their families and colleagues. As investigative agencies work to uncover the full truth, there is growing criticism both within and outside firefighting authorities, urgently calling for a thorough review of whether on-site command protocols to safeguard firefighters’ lives during residual fire clean-up were properly followed.

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