Message Left by Victim of Bucheon Hotel Fire Incident
"Mom, I love you. I think I'm going to die because of a fire at the motel."
This was the last text message left by a victim to her mother during the hotel fire incident in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 22nd, which resulted in 19 casualties. The victim, who was still a university student, was found in cardiac arrest inside the burning hotel and was rushed to the hospital but ultimately passed away. On the 25th, Yonhap News released the content of the message sent by the deceased, Mr. A, to his mother at around 7:49 p.m. on the day of the fire, the 22nd. This was about 15 minutes after the fire broke out. After sending this message, Mr. A wrote, "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry and I love you both."
At around 8:01 p.m., Mr. A's mother tried to contact her son's phone number, but there was no connection. Alarmed, she sent texts saying, "Where are you, son?" and "Come home early," but her son, who had already lost consciousness, could not see the messages. Mr. A's mother told the media, "I kept checking the messages and trying to contact my son, but I never got to hear his voice," and added, "The day after my son passed away was my birthday. I never imagined I would spend my birthday at my son's funeral."
The bereaved family also expressed dissatisfaction with the fire department's rescue efforts. Mr. A's father said, "It is reported that the fire department put all their efforts into extinguishing and rescue operations, but it is hard to accept," and claimed, "If they had deployed ladder trucks properly for the rescue, my son could have survived." The family pointed out that the fire department's first response team arrived at around 7:43 p.m. on the day of the fire, but Mr. A sent a text to his family at 7:57 p.m., 14 minutes later. They argue that if the rescue operation had been faster, Mr. A might have survived. The family is reportedly planning to meet with other victims' families to discuss forming a council for joint action.
The fire resulted in a total of 7 deaths and 12 injuries. Although the flames did not spread throughout the entire hotel building, the damage was worsened because toxic gas spread inside and sprinklers were not installed in the rooms. The police and fire authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire based on detailed forensic analysis by the National Forensic Service.
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