Sprinkler Soaks Restaurant During Cooking... Store Owner Says "It's Because of the Fire"

Sprinkler Burst While Boiling Broth as Usual
Unable to Operate for Two Days Due to Cleaning Equipment and Floors

A restaurant owner in Jeju suffered damage when a sprinkler went off while cooking in the kitchen, and when he informed the building owner of the damage, he received the absurd response that "it's because you used fire."

On the 28th, JTBC's 'Incident Room' reported the story of Mr. A, a man in his 50s who runs a restaurant in Seogwipo City, Jeju, on the 27th. On that day, Mr. A was boiling broth as usual. Suddenly, one of the six sprinklers in the kitchen went off. Water suddenly burst from the sprinkler, ruining the ingredients and kitchen utensils in the kitchen, and the circuit breaker tripped, turning off the refrigerator as well. Mr. A ran to the management office and asked them to shut off the water, and only then did the water stop flowing.

A story has been revealed in which a business owner who suffered damage after a sprinkler went off while cooking in a restaurant kitchen in Jeju Island informed the building owner of the damage, only to receive the absurd response, "It's because you used fire."
[Photo by JTBC 'Sageonbanjang']

As a result, Mr. A was unable to operate his business for two days as he had to clean and dry the kitchen utensils and floor. He contacted a fire protection company to find out why the sprinkler malfunctioned, but the company also said they did not know the exact cause. Mr. A informed the building owner of the incident, but the owner responded by saying, "It's because you used fire." Mr. A lamented, "What kitchen doesn't use fire?" but the building owner repeated, "The sprinkler went off because you used fire." When Mr. A asked about insurance compensation, the building owner scolded him, saying, "Are you trying to scam insurance money?" Mr. A said, "The building owner only agreed to replace the sprinkler," adding, "I'm upset that there wasn't even a word of consolation."

Suddenly, water burst out from the sprinkler, rendering the food ingredients and kitchen utensils in the kitchen unusable, and the circuit breaker tripped, causing the refrigerator to turn off. Mr. A ran to the management office and requested to shut off the water, and only then did the water stop.
[Photo by JTBC 'Sageon Banjang']

Netizens had mixed reactions to Mr. A's story. Some commented, "You cook with fire in a restaurant, so what else would you cook with?", "It seems the building owner just doesn't want to compensate," and "It's not that he's trying to get insurance money, but that he should receive it." On the other hand, some netizens said, "If the heat inside the restaurant is too high, the sprinkler can be triggered," and "It might actually be fortunate that the sprinkler went off."

Meanwhile, recent large-scale fires have increased public interest in sprinklers. Sprinklers are designed to activate automatically when a fire breaks out, but they can also be turned on manually in emergencies. The time it takes for water to come out varies depending on the type of sprinkler. Wet pipe sprinklers, which always have water in the pipes, release water immediately when the heat-sensitive element breaks. In contrast, pre-action sprinklers, which keep pipes empty to prevent freezing, release water only after at least about one minute after detecting a fire. Pre-action sprinklers cannot spray water if the fire detector does not function properly. Therefore, if a fire occurs but the detector fails to detect it or is malfunctioning, the sprinkler can be manually activated. Manual operation boxes, which allow direct activation, are required to be installed near the building's valve room. Experts advise that knowing the location of the manual operation box in advance can help prevent fires.