National Fire Agency Launches Joint Investigation into Bucheon Firefighter's Death

National Fire Agency, National Fire Research Institute, and union take part
Review on-site firefighting and rescue response
President Lee Jae-myung orders inspections of densely populated facilities

The National Fire Agency will launch a joint investigation team to determine the cause of the firefighter’s death at the scene of a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, and prevent similar incidents from happening again.

According to the National Fire Agency on October 21, the 22-member team will be led by the agency’s planning and coordination officer and include officials from the National Fire Agency and the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters, the National Fire Research Institute, and outside experts. The fire service union will also take part.

Yonhap News Agency

The team will operate for 30 days and examine the entire on-site response, from the initial response to firefighting and rescue operations. In particular, it plans to conduct a comprehensive review of whether the large quantities of hazardous materials found at the fire scene were stored and handled legally, whether fire prevention measures were adequate, and whether the apartment-style factory building had any structural risks, before drawing up measures to prevent a recurrence.

At around 8:38 a.m. on October 16, a fire broke out at a metal parts painting factory in Nae-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Two of the four firefighters deployed to extinguish the fire became trapped as the flames spread rapidly. They were rescued and taken to a hospital, but Fire Lieutenant Kim Jin-seok died on October 17.

A joint inspection found around 180 containers inside the factory that were suspected of holding flammable substances. The factory had never been licensed to handle hazardous materials, and investigators found that it had no sprinklers. Police formed a 33-member dedicated investigative team and, on October 18, booked the factory’s owner on suspicion of occupational negligence causing injury and causing a fire through occupational negligence.

The incident occurred three months after the National Fire Agency announced in July a principle of prioritizing exterior firefighting at scenes where there was no possibility of rescuing people, as part of measures to prevent firefighter deaths. The joint investigation team will also check whether this measure was followed at the scene.

President Lee Jae-myung also ordered safety inspections of densely populated facilities on October 20, saying, "The state has a duty to protect people's daily lives from all threats." He called for "careful improvements to the systems and infrastructure across our society."

National Fire Agency Commissioner Choi Yong-cheol said, "We will thoroughly determine the cause of the firefighter’s death and closely examine the overall safety management of unauthorized hazardous materials." He added, "Based on the investigation's findings, we will develop practical measures to improve safety, protect firefighters, and prevent similar accidents from happening again."

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