Fire in 4-Story Building in Icheon... "Suspected Electric Kickboard Ignition Inside Home"

Rising black smoke. [Image source=Yonhap News]

A fire broke out on the morning of the 5th at a multi-family house in Daewol-myeon, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi Province. The fire started around 11 a.m. in a four-story building, prompting the fire authorities to respond immediately.

Considering the possibility of casualties, the fire authorities temporarily issued a Level 1 response alert (an alarm involving 31 to 50 pieces of equipment from 3 to 7 fire stations). Thirty pieces of equipment, including pump trucks, and 70 personnel were deployed, and the fire was extinguished in about 20 minutes.

As thick black smoke billowed from the fire, three young men living in the affected unit were found hanging from the exterior railing; two of them evacuated to the floor below, and one escaped to the neighboring unit. Firefighters additionally rescued two residents on the fourth floor who had not yet evacuated.

The fire authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, which is believed to have started from an electric scooter that was in the house where the fire broke out.