A man who ran into flames at a villa fire scene to evacuate neighbors was taken to a hospital emergency room and later had to pay for his medical treatment out of pocket, a story that has come to light. On the 18th, a post titled "I saved a person, but what I got in return was regret" was uploaded to an online community. As of the 19th, the post has over 150,000 views.
The author, Mr. A (39), identified himself as the head of a household living in Incheon and said he witnessed a fire at a villa last month. He stated that when the fire broke out at the villa last month, he reported it to 119 and went around floors 1 to 5 of the building to evacuate eight elderly people. Mr. A conducted rescue activities for about three minutes amid towering flames and thick smoke without any personal protective equipment. Afterwards, he inhaled toxic gas, collapsed, and was transported by fire truck ambulance to a nearby hospital where he received emergency treatment and rested.
Mr. A expressed his frustration at being asked to pay for the medical treatment at the hospital. He said, "I thought I did a good deed, but I was shocked when they told me to pay for the treatment after receiving it." He added, "I’m not someone who expects anything in return, and I was calming myself down thinking it was okay since I did a good deed, but they told me I had to pay for the treatment." He lamented, "I really didn’t know that if I saved someone and got injured, I would have to pay the hospital bill myself."
He continued, "I thought that since I saved people and went to the hospital by fire ambulance because I was hurt, I wouldn’t have to pay for the treatment." He said, "People who get injured while drunk are taken to the hospital and treated, and even if they don’t pay, they say ‘It can’t be helped. The treatment cost is covered by taxes,’ so it was very absurd. By nature, I will act like this again next time, but I feel empty inside."
The fire Mr. A experienced reportedly occurred on the 4th of last month. The Incheon Fire Headquarters stated that the fire broke out on the rooftop of a villa in Michuhol-gu, Incheon. The fire authorities deployed 17 pieces of equipment including pump trucks and ambulances and 50 personnel, extinguishing the fire within five minutes. The fire caused damage estimated at 480,000 won (according to the fire station) due to the destruction of the rooftop exterior wall, but there were no casualties. A representative from the Incheon Fire Headquarters said, "It is true that we responded to a fire on the villa rooftop at that time, but we do not know much about the man’s case."
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