Power Outage Affecting 480 Households and Damage to 140 Vehicles
Joint Forensic Investigation by NFS Scheduled for the 8th
Warm helping hands continue to reach the residents of an apartment complex in Incheon, where electricity supply was cut off during the heatwave due to an electric vehicle fire.
On the 4th, posts appeared on an online community used by residents of Cheongna International City in Seo-gu, Incheon, expressing a desire to help the victims of the apartment fire that occurred in the early morning of the 1st, as well as messages of gratitude from apartment residents to neighbors who offered assistance.
CCTV footage of the underground parking lot at an apartment complex in Cheongna, Incheon. Photo by Yonhap News
According to the posts, neighbors who learned about the unfortunate situation of the victims forced to live in temporary shelters during the heatwave have generously offered their homes and vehicles to help with urgent needs such as showering and laundry.
One victim living in a temporary housing facility said, "A resident from a nearby apartment, who was on vacation, gave me the password to their home so I could take a shower and do laundry," adding, "Although it seems the electricity will be restored around next Thursday, and the situation feels bleak, I am very grateful for this warm help."
Another victim shared, "It was inconvenient not having a car for two days, but someone even washed their own car and lent it to me," and added, "When they encouraged me by saying, 'It's a small car, so I feel sorry, but we can solve things step by step,' I was moved to tears."
Local small business owners also helped the victims who suffered sudden damage. They distributed fruit to the victims and provided spaces for children to study, places for residents to rest, and free beverages, extending a warm hand of kindness.
According to the Incheon Fire Headquarters, at around 6:15 a.m. on the 1st, a Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle exploded and caught fire on the basement level 1 of an apartment in Cheongna-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon. CCTV footage from the scene showed smoke billowing from the white Mercedes-Benz parked in the underground garage, followed by an explosion and large flames rising.
Due to the nature of electric vehicles, the fire department faced difficulties extinguishing the fire but managed to fully suppress it after about eight hours. Twenty residents inhaled smoke from the fire and were transported to hospitals.
Additionally, it is preliminarily estimated that 40 vehicles parked underground were burned, and about 100 vehicles suffered heat and soot damage.
The apartment complex lost electricity supply to about 480 households in 5 out of 14 buildings, totaling 1,581 households, due to the fire. Forty-six households, comprising over 120 people, evacuated to temporary housing facilities set up at administrative welfare centers and other locations.
The police and fire authorities plan to conduct a joint inspection with the National Forensic Service on the 8th.
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