[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] A fire broke out in the underground parking lot of an apartment in Cheonan, Chungnam, damaging 666 vehicles.
On the 15th, the Chungnam Fire Headquarters announced that a fire occurred in the underground 2nd floor parking lot of a residential-commercial complex apartment in Buldang-dong, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, Chungnam. The fire, which broke out around 11:09 PM on the 11th, was fully extinguished three hours after the deployment of about 50 fire trucks and 380 firefighters.
The fire caused about 70 residents to evacuate in a commotion. According to the investigation, one employee who was washing cars on a business trip was seriously injured, and 14 residents inhaled smoke and received treatment at a hospital. Additionally, 666 vehicles were damaged, with 16 completely burned and 28 partially burned. The remaining vehicles were covered with soot.
During the police investigation, residents reportedly stated, "While washing cars on the underground 2nd floor parking lot, an explosion sound came from the business trip car wash van, followed by flames." The business trip car wash vehicle, suspected to be the cause of the fire, is known to have insurance coverage of 200 million KRW for property damage. This has led to increased controversy regarding compensation for damages.
The fire authorities estimated the vehicle damage from the fire to be up to about 1 billion KRW. However, various online and local community forums have claimed that most residents of this apartment have a high income level and that there were many luxury vehicles in the parking lot, suggesting that the actual damage amount could be much higher. Some speculate that the maximum damage could reach 10 billion KRW.
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