Last Year, 1,000 Imaginary Firefighters... "I Don't Want to Die Anymore" A Heartbreaking Cry [Safety Neglect Republic]

<Top>Repeated Construction Site Fire Accidents

Over 10 Million Won Damage and Injuries in the Last 3 Years
Comprehensive Analysis of 32 Construction Site Fire Accidents
44 Deaths and 29 Injuries
Most Frequent Cause of Fire: 'Welding and Cutting' with 15 Cases
Ichon Logistics Warehouse and Pyeongtaek Cold Storage...
Firefighters Take to the Streets Over 'Missing Safety'

The Firefighters' Labor Union of the Korean Government Employees' Labor Union Confederation held a rally on the 17th near the Blue House in Jongno-gu, Seoul, condemning the government and urging the punishment of those responsible for the fatal fire accident at the Pyeongtaek logistics warehouse construction site and the establishment of measures to prevent recurrence. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Gwan-ju and Jeong Dong-hoon] "We don't want to die anymore. We are not fire-extinguishing machines."

Firefighters, who protect the lives and property of the people, have taken to the streets instead of disaster sites. On the 6th, when three firefighters died in the line of duty due to a fire at a cold storage construction site in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, it was a heartfelt cry that they could no longer bear to see their colleagues die. On the 17th, about 250 firefighters gathered near the Blue House to demand measures to prevent firefighter casualties at disaster and accident sites. According to the Firefighters' Union, more than 100 firefighters have died in the line of duty or taken their own lives due to trauma from fire scenes over the past 10 years. Last year, 1,004 firefighters were injured while on duty. Jeong Eun-ae, chairperson of the Firefighters' Union, expressed her frustration, saying, "The continued sacrifice of firefighters risking their lives at the scene is due to the government hastily issuing superficial policies disconnected from the realities on the ground."

Even before the sorrow over the firefighters' deaths had faded, on the 11th, a collapse accident occurred at the Gwangju Hwajeong I-Park apartment construction site. Of the six missing at the scene, only one was found dead, and the remaining five are still being searched for. The tragedy at construction sites, stemming from 'safety disappearance,' continues unabated, causing numerous casualties.

Construction site fires are a representative type of accident revealing 'safety negligence.' Asia Economy conducted a comprehensive analysis of construction site fires from 2019 to 2021 that caused property damage exceeding 10 million won or injuries requiring more than three days of treatment. The results showed a total of 32 fires, resulting in 44 deaths and 29 injuries. The most common cause of ignition was welding and cutting, accounting for 15 cases, followed by electrical factors such as the use of heating devices with 5 cases, and work carelessness such as equipment overload with 4 cases. Additionally, there were 5 cases of unknown causes and 3 cases of other factors. Most of these fires could have been prevented with just a little more caution.

Despite numerous casualties, fires have repeated. This was the case even after the April 2020 disaster at a logistics warehouse construction site in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, where 38 people died. In October of the same year, a fire broke out during welding work at a construction site in Daegu, injuring four people, and in December, a fire caused by a solid fuel spill during a dispute among workers at a site in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, resulted in one death and three injuries. Last year, in February, a fire broke out during sprinkler pipe welding work at a sports facility, injuring three people, and in April, a gas leak during welding work at an officetel site in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, caused one death and one injury. The repeated construction site fires ultimately culminated in the recent Pyeongtaek fire, which claimed the precious lives of firefighters.

In particular, the construction sites where fires occurred included various types such as apartment complexes (9 cases), single-family houses (3 cases), factories (4 cases), warehouses (3 cases), sewage treatment facilities, office buildings, neighborhood living facilities (2 cases each), and even schools, showing no discrimination by type. This is evidence that safety negligence is widespread across many construction sites, not just a problem at specific sites. In addition to human casualties, property damage was significant, with 10 cases (31.3%) causing property damage exceeding 100 million won. Due to their nature, construction sites are inherently vulnerable to fires. Therefore, more attention should be paid to safety, but in reality, it is often ignored on site. Professor Gong Ha-seong of the Department of Fire and Disaster Prevention at Woosuk University pointed out, "Flammable materials such as oxygen tanks for oxy-fuel welding and LPG tanks are scattered around, and when interior finishing work is underway, flammable vapors can accumulate. Despite the vulnerability of construction sites to fire, there are no adequate measures, with only temporary firefighting equipment such as fire extinguishers available."