2 of 7 Dead Fall from Air Mattress
Fire Authorities: "Fell Near Edge and Flipped Over"
Minister of the Interior Sang-min Lee: "Wasn't There Anyone to Catch Them?"
Among the 7 fatalities at the hotel fire scene in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, 2 died while falling onto the air mattress, sparking controversy over the fire department's response. However, the fire authorities maintain that there were no issues during the installation process.
According to the fire authorities on the 23rd, a fire broke out at a hotel in Jung-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do at around 7:34 PM the previous day. The first report of smoke coming from a 9-story hotel room was received at 7:39 PM. Subsequently, the Bucheon Fire Station arrived at the scene 4 minutes later and installed the air mattress within 5 minutes of arrival.
The air mattress installed at the scene is known to be equipment designed to allow survival even when jumping from a height of 10 floors. It measures 7.5 meters wide, 4.5 meters long, and 3 meters high, and is usually loaded onto a pump truck and carried by 4 to 5 rescue workers for installation.
The problem occurred at 7:55 PM, 7 minutes after the air mattress was installed, when a man and a woman from a 7th-floor room jumped down. The woman who jumped first landed near the edge of the air mattress, causing it to flip over due to the rebound. The remaining man also fell to the ground immediately after jumping. They were transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest but both died.
Subsequently, questions were raised online and elsewhere regarding the appropriateness and effectiveness of the air mattress installation process.
However, the fire authorities explained that the air mattress does not guarantee 100% safety. They estimate that the woman who jumped first landed near the corner of the air mattress rather than the center, causing it to flip. A Bucheon Fire Station official explained at the scene, "The air mattress installed yesterday was designed for 10 floors and is safe even if someone jumps from the 8th floor. When the woman fell toward the corner, the air mattress flipped, but this is not a common occurrence."
Minister of the Interior and Safety, Lee Sang-min, who also visited the fire scene, asked, "Was there no one holding the air mattress?" In response, Cho Sun-ho, head of the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said, "We believe that due to a shortage of personnel at the time, no one was able to hold the air mattress." There are also opinions that on-site personnel are not necessarily required to hold the corners.
The cause of this accident is reported to be electrical in nature. Head Cho stated in the morning, "We consider electrical factors to be the most likely cause." He added, "It would have been better if the doors of the initially ignited room had been closed, but they were opened, causing the smoke to spread rapidly. Due to the motel's characteristics, with narrow corridors and high heat accumulation, guests likely had difficulty evacuating."
The police investigation headquarters plan to conduct a joint inspection at the fire scene starting at 11 AM today, with 31 officials including fire authorities and the National Forensic Service participating to determine the exact cause of the fire.
Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is answering reporters' questions after inspecting the hotel fire site in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province on the 23rd. The fire started around 7:40 PM yesterday, resulting in 7 deaths and 12 injuries among guests and others. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
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