Chinese Worker in His 30s Indicted and Detained for Wando Warehouse Fire That Killed Two Firefighters

A Chinese worker in his 30s has been indicted for causing a fire during hot work at a cold storage facility operated by a seafood processing company in Wando, Jeollanam-do, which resulted in the deaths of two firefighters.

The Wando Police Station announced on the 22nd that they have referred A, a 34-year-old Chinese national, to the prosecution in custody on charges of negligent arson.

Mr. A, a 30-something Chinese national and illegal immigrant accused of arson during work by using fire while performing paint removal work, is coming out of the courtroom after completing the pre-arrest interrogation (warrant review) held at Haenam Branch of Gwangju District Court in Haenam-gun, Jeonnam Province, on the afternoon of the 14th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

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On the morning of the 12th, A is accused of causing a fire due to carelessness while using a torch to remove epoxy floor paint at a cold storage facility in Gunoe-myeon, Wando County. According to the investigation, A used a torch lamp to melt the paint more easily, and the flames from this process spread to the sandwich panel walls, which are made of flammable materials, leading to a large-scale fire.

As an illegal immigrant, A did not report the fire himself when it broke out. Instead, he contacted B, the head of the construction company, and then fled to another region as the situation escalated before ultimately being apprehended by the police. B arrived late at the scene and attempted to extinguish the fire himself before notifying the fire authorities. During the firefighting operation, Fire Captain Park Seungwon and Fire Sergeant Noh Taeyoung were isolated by the rapidly spreading flames and tragically lost their lives in the line of duty.

The police determined that A was grossly negligent in using a torch in a hazardous environment filled with flammable materials such as epoxy paint and sandwich panels.

Additionally, the police have also booked B, the company head in his 60s who instructed A to perform the work and left the site, on charges of negligent arson for failing to ensure safety management, and are continuing their investigation.

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