Not Mandatory to Install at Completion in 2003
2 Dead Jumping from Air Mattress
Most Fire Victims Aged 20-50 Stayed Near Fire Site
A mysterious fire at a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, caused 19 casualties, prompting fire authorities to conduct a joint investigation. The fire, which started in a vacant hotel room, produced toxic gases, and the absence of sprinklers in the room is believed to have worsened the damage.
According to the Fire Agency on the 23rd, a fire broke out around 7:39 PM the previous day on the 8th floor of a 9-story hotel in Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, resulting in the deaths of seven Korean guests in their 20s to 50s. The Gyeonggi Provincial Fire and Disaster Headquarters, Gyeonggi Southern Police Agency, and the National Forensic Service will conduct a joint investigation with related agencies at 11 AM that day to determine the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage. The fire is believed to have started in vacant room 810, which had no guests at the time. Although someone had been assigned that room before the fire, they reportedly changed rooms after noticing a "burning smell." It has not been confirmed whether cooking utensils were provided in the room.
On the 23rd, the forensic investigation team is conducting an on-site inspection at the hotel fire scene in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. This fire started around 7:40 PM yesterday evening, resulting in 7 deaths, including guests, and 12 injuries. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
Among the fire victims, two died not inside the burning hotel but while jumping onto air mattresses installed by firefighters. Lee Sang-don, head of the Fire Prevention Division at Bucheon Fire Station, explained, "Two people, a man and a woman, who jumped onto the air mattresses both died," adding, "It was confirmed that the air mattress, which was properly inflated, flipped over as the first person jumped." The air mattresses are designed to absorb impact during falls, but if they are not installed on flat ground or if the impact continues on the edges, they can flip over. Most of the other deceased were staying near the 8th-floor rooms where the fire occurred. There are three seriously injured and nine with minor injuries, all of whom are in stable condition.
The hotel, completed in 2003, did not have sprinklers installed in the rooms, which is believed to have increased the damage. At the time of the hotel's construction, the mandatory installation of sprinklers applied only to buildings with 11 floors or more, so this hotel was exempt. Although the mandatory sprinkler installation requirement was expanded in 2017 to include new buildings with six floors or more, it is not applied retroactively except for certain facilities such as medical institutions or nursing hospitals.
While the fire did not spread extensively, the large amount of black smoke and toxic gases produced is also considered a factor that increased the damage. Lee said, "When we arrived first, the interior was already filled with smoke, which was also coming out of the windows." The smoke likely obscured visibility and made breathing difficult, creating an environment where it was hard to find emergency exits or escape.
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