Firefighter Dies in 'Bucheon Fire'... Police Book Factory Owner Without Detention

Police investigating the fire at a painting factory in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, that killed a firefighter in the line of duty have placed the factory owner under investigation.

A dedicated investigative team at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said on Oct. 19 that it had formally booked the factory owner, a man in his 70s identified as Mr. A, on charges of occupational negligence causing injury and causing a fire through occupational negligence. He was not detained.

A joint investigation by relevant agencies was underway at a metal parts painting factory in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 17th to determine the cause of a fire that broke out the previous day. Yonhap News Agency

Mr. A is suspected of neglecting fire-prevention measures at a metal injection molding and printing plant in Naedong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, where a fire broke out on Oct. 16. One firefighter died and seven people were injured while fighting the blaze.

The day after the fire, on Oct. 17, police questioned five people associated with the factory, including Mr. A, as witnesses. They examined working conditions at the time of the incident and the state of safety management, and booked Mr. A after determining that negligence may have contributed to the fire.

Police plan to question Mr. A about the specific circumstances in which the fire started and whether safety rules were followed, while continuing to question other people associated with the factory. The number of people under investigation is expected to grow as the investigation proceeds.

Earlier, one firefighter in his 40s who was deployed to fight the fire died, while five other firefighters and two factory workers were injured. A joint investigation raised the possibility that the fire started when sparks, possibly caused by static electricity, ignited vapor produced during cleaning with thinner on the factory's third floor. Despite the fire risk posed by the vapor, the site was not equipped with explosion-proof facilities, and a large quantity of flammable substances was found near the point where the fire started.

Police also plan to determine the circumstances surrounding the death of the firefighter who became trapped and died while fighting the fire. The Firefighters Division of the Korean Government Employees' Union issued a statement calling for an investigation into the decision to enter the building and the appropriateness of on-site command.

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