2700 Construction Site Fires in the Last 5 Years... 248 Casualties

Fire Agency Announces Damages of 68.6 Billion KRW
"Precautions Needed During Welding, Flammable Materials Must Be Managed"

On the morning of the 14th, a fire broke out at the Banyan Tree Hotel construction site in Gijang-gun, Busan, resulting in 6 deaths and 27 injuries. Over the past five years, a total of 2,732 fires have been recorded at construction sites.

On the 15th, the Fire Agency announced the statistics of construction site fires over the past five years (2020?2024). The total number of fires during this period was 2,732. By year, the figures were ▲599 in 2020 ▲559 in 2021 ▲657 in 2022 ▲516 in 2023 ▲401 in 2024.

On the 14th, a large fire broke out at the Banyan Tree Hotel construction site in Gijang-gun, Busan. Photo by Yonhap News

During the same period, the number of deaths caused by construction site fires was 46, and the number of injuries was 202. The deaths were ▲39 in 2020 ▲3 in 2021 ▲3 in 2022 ▲1 in 2023, showing a yearly decline, with no deaths reported last year. Injuries also showed a steady decrease with 50 in 2020, 48 in 2021, 36 in 2022, and 30 in 2023, but slightly increased to 38 last year.

The total property damage over five years was estimated at 68.68299 billion KRW. By year, the amounts were ▲approximately 18.86 billion KRW in 2020 ▲approximately 9.23 billion KRW in 2021 ▲approximately 22.93 billion KRW in 2022 ▲approximately 5.63 billion KRW in 2023 ▲approximately 12.01 billion KRW in 2024.

Meanwhile, fire authorities suspect that the fire at the Banyan Tree Hotel construction site in Gijang-gun, Busan, started near the insulation material by the swimming pool on the first floor of the building. The death toll from this fire has reached 6, marking the highest number of fatalities since 2021. Experts explained that when insulation materials catch fire, they often emit large amounts of black smoke that obscures vision along with toxic gases, making it easy to cause casualties.

The fire authorities explained that to prevent fires at construction sites, it is necessary to ▲install spark prevention covers and welding fireproof tarps to prevent sparks from entering insulation materials during welding work ▲equip essential firefighting equipment for fire prevention and initial response ▲remove flammable materials around the worksite. A Fire Agency official emphasized, "Smoking should be restricted to designated areas within the worksite, and the handling of fire should be prohibited in places where explosions or fires may occur."

Regarding this fire, on the 15th, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency formed an investigation team of about 30 people, including the head of the criminal mobile unit as team leader and personnel from the scientific investigation unit. The Busan Eastern District Prosecutors' Office also formed a dedicated investigation team consisting of the district chief as head, 10 prosecutors, and 15 investigators. The Busan Employment and Labor Office is also checking for violations of the Serious Accident Punishment Act. The police, scientific investigation fire analysis team, fire authorities, National Forensic Service, and National Disaster Safety Institute plan to conduct a joint investigation on the morning of the 16th.