One in Three Jeonnam Cold and Freezer Warehouses Found 'Non-compliant'... Jeonnam Fire Headquarters Takes 81 Administrative Actions

In one out of every three cold and freezer warehouses in the Jeonnam region, inadequate management of fire safety facilities has been detected, prompting the fire authorities to initiate extensive administrative measures, including the imposition of fines.

The Jeonnam Fire Headquarters announced that it conducted unannounced fire safety inspections at 113 cold and freezer warehouses in the province following a fire at a local freezer warehouse in April. As a result, deficiencies in fire safety facility management were found at 39 of these locations, leading to a total of 81 administrative actions taken.

This inspection was launched after a fire broke out at a freezer warehouse in Wando on the 12th of last month. The fire started due to careless torch use during epoxy work, and flames rapidly spread along flammable interior materials such as sandwich panels and urethane foam.

Jeonnam Fire Department sudden safety inspection at low-temperature and frozen storage warehouse.
Photo by Jeonnam Province

It was reported that large quantities of toxic gas and a high fire load made firefighting efforts particularly challenging.

In response, the Jeonnam Fire Headquarters formed a joint inspection team including fire authorities, local governments, and private experts, conducting intensive inspections over a three-week period to prevent similar accidents from recurring.

Notably, the inspections were carried out as unannounced on-site safety checks, and inadequate fire safety facility management was identified at 39 locations, accounting for approximately 34.5% of all inspected sites.

The inspection team imposed a total of 81 administrative actions against the violators, including 2 fines, 15 official notifications to relevant institutions, and 64 corrective orders.

Jeonnam Fire Headquarters explained that a zero-tolerance policy was applied to cases where fire safety facilities, which are directly linked to potential casualties in the event of a fire, were deliberately tampered with or damaged.

In fact, several companies were found to have neglected management or intentionally disabled fire safety facilities.

Choi Mincheol, Chief of Jeonnam Fire Headquarters, stated, "Due to their structural characteristics, fires at cold and freezer warehouses carry a very high risk of mass casualties. Deliberately disabling or neglecting fire safety facilities is a serious violation that threatens the lives of our residents. We will continue to conduct unannounced and rigorous inspections to eliminate any blind spots in safety management."

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