Breaking and Opening Building Window to Enter
Policy to Strengthen Local Adaptation Training Shines
A fire broke out in a commercial building in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, but thanks to the quick thinking of a 31-year veteran firefighter, there were no casualties.
At around 3:38 a.m. on the 17th, a fire broke out in a six-story building located in Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, and more than 50 people, including motel guests inside the building, were rescued by the fire authorities. Provided by Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters
On the 17th, Yonhap News reported that a fire occurred around 3:38 a.m. at a restaurant on the first floor of a six-story building in Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. Moreover, there was a lodging facility on the 5th and 6th floors of the building. Since the fire happened while most guests were asleep, it could have caused large-scale casualties. However, the quick judgment of Fire Lieutenant Park Hong-gyu (team leader) of the Ansan Fire Station’s 119 Rescue Team, who arrived first at the scene, played a major role in rescuing 52 people. Among them, 31 people showing mild smoke inhalation symptoms were transported to the hospital. Two of them were classified as seriously injured but were not in life-threatening condition.
Team Leader Park said, "At that time, the fire was at its peak during the 'choeseonggi' period, with heat and smoke reaching their maximum." He added, "There were many radio transmissions saying, 'There is a motel,' and 'There are continuous calls for help.'" He continued, "Five rescue team members, including myself, entered the building on the second floor, but the heat was too intense to go further, so we came back down to the first floor. Upon closer inspection, I noticed large windows near the staircases on each floor. When we broke one on the second floor with an axe, it shattered more easily than expected. So, I instructed the staff to break all the windows to let out the heat and smoke while we ascended," explaining the situation at the time.
At around 3:38 a.m. on the 17th, a fire broke out in a six-story building located in Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, and more than 50 people, including motel guests inside the building, were rescued by the fire authorities. Photo by Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters
As Team Leader Park had anticipated, smoke and heat began to escape through the broken windows. Thanks to this, Park and the rescue team were able to enter the area where the guests were gathered. People were already collapsed in the hallway, coughing, and the rooms were filled with thick smoke, creating a dangerous situation.
Park said, "We put masks on the guests and helped them down one by one." He added, "Other rescue teams from different centers also came to assist. I think we went up and down the building about ten times conducting rescue and search operations." He emphasized, "I have been a firefighter for 31 years. The moment I heard there was a motel at the fire scene, the recent 'Bucheon Hotel Fire' immediately came to mind. We had done a lot of training and discussions about that incident. I didn’t feel tired at all; I only thought about saving lives."
The Bucheon Hotel tragedy occurred on August 22 at 7:37 p.m. in a hotel in Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, where a fire killed seven guests and injured twelve. Some of the deceased attempted to jump onto air mattresses but fell off the edges or the mattresses flipped due to recoil, resulting in fatalities. Since then, fire authorities have strengthened on-site adaptation training, including initial response and air mattress deployment. On this day as well, it was confirmed that two of the rescued people had jumped onto air mattresses installed outside the building.
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