Firefighters Watching Baseball Game Rush Out to Quickly Extinguish Stadium Fire

KT: "The Club Will Express Its Gratitude"

It was belatedly revealed that firefighters who were watching a professional baseball game on their day off quickly extinguished a fire that broke out near the stadium, preventing a major accident.

According to Yonhap News Agency on May 7, Fire Sergeant Kim Hyunseung from the Field Command Team of Uiwang Fire Station and Fire Lieutenant Park Youngsoo from the Baegun 119 Safety Center witnessed thick smoke entering the stadium while attending the 2026 professional baseball game between the Lotte Giants and kt wiz at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on their day off the previous day.

The two immediately rushed to the fire scene, identified themselves as firefighters to those nearby, and personally took hold of the fire hose to fight the blaze together with KT staff. A KT representative stated, "Thanks to the two, we were able to prevent the fire from spreading," adding, "We will convey our gratitude to them on behalf of the club."

The wife of Fire Sergeant Kim Hyunseung, who was also at the game that day, told Yonhap News Agency, "As soon as he detected the fire, he rushed out without hesitation," and added, "Fire Lieutenant Park Youngsoo's wife is also a firefighter, but since she is pregnant, she assisted near the scene instead."

The fire had broken out at the outdoor recycling station outside the stadium during the top of the 7th inning while Lotte was at bat the previous day. As thick smoke flowed into the stadium, the game was suspended for about 23 minutes.

Spectators at the game reacted with surprise, and a message was displayed on the scoreboard reading, "Due to a fire at the outdoor waste incineration site, firefighting efforts are currently underway." Videos posted on social networking services (SNS) showed spectators evacuating in lines and fire trucks rushing to the outdoor recycling station with smoke billowing out. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Meanwhile, the KT club believes the fire started due to a discarded cigarette butt and is working to confirm the exact cause. In addition, the club is expanding its security personnel and strengthening enforcement of the smoking ban in non-smoking areas as part of its measures to prevent recurrence.