"May Seoul Apartment Fire Casualties Account for 60% of Total... Safety Management Initiatives Underway"

Fire Statistics Analysis... 1,394 Fires and 14 Deaths in May
73% of Casualties Occurred in Residential Facilities... Fire Casualties in Apartment Complexes

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters provided statistical data analyzing fires that occurred in May over the past three years (2019-2021), urging caution in fire prevention and safety management.

According to the Fire and Disaster Headquarters on the 10th, during the statistical analysis period, there were 1,394 fires in May, accounting for 8.8% of all fires, with a total of 108 casualties including 14 deaths.

The place with the highest number of fire casualties during the same period was residential facilities, with 79 casualties including 8 deaths, followed by sales and business facilities with 11 casualties (2 deaths), and life service facilities with 5 casualties. In particular, casualties from fires in apartment complexes among residential facilities amounted to 65 people (6 deaths), accounting for 60.2% of all fire casualties.

The main factors contributing to the high number of casualties in apartment complex fires are the spread of combustion to neighboring units and the inflow of smoke into evacuation routes. A representative case is a fire in an apartment in Seongbuk-gu last May, which caused 33 casualties including one seriously injured person.

Accordingly, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters is currently intensifying fire safety management through on-site inspections and fire safety consulting targeting fire-vulnerable residential facilities such as small rooms and apartment complexes without sprinkler systems.

In addition, to promote fire prevention in apartment complexes, the Seoul Chapter of the Korea Housing Managers Association is conducting a fire safety campaign for apartment complexes. For apartment complexes participating in the campaign, practical safety information such as fire cases and evacuation facility usage is provided, and fire prevention promotional materials have been distributed.

Jung Gyo-cheol, Head of the On-site Response Team at the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said, “In the case of apartment fires, opening the front door during evacuation allows oxygen to enter, causing fire and smoke to spread rapidly to neighboring units and staircases,” and urged, “In the event of a fire, please evacuate while keeping the front door closed if possible.”