"No One Is Taking Responsibility, and That Makes Us Angry"
The funeral halls for four people, including wildfire firefighters and an accompanying public official who died while extinguishing a wildfire in Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam, have been set up. The bereaved families shed tears at the funeral hall.
A wildfire suppression team member is conducting firefighting operations at a wildfire site in Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam. Provided by the Korea Forest Service
On the 23rd, Yonhap News reported that the funeral halls for those who died while extinguishing a fire that broke out in a mountain in Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong-gun on the afternoon of the 21st were set up at Changnyeong Seoul Hospital funeral hall in Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongnam. Every time the bodies of the deceased arrived, the funeral hall turned into a sea of tears.
Kim (52), the wife of a wildfire firefighter A in his 60s, said her husband was more active and righteous than anyone else in his work. She said, "Since last November, he had been working as a wildfire firefighter and was very satisfied, saying he got along well with people and enjoyed his work. He had a personality that couldn’t just overlook even small things, so I think he was probably frantically putting out the fire until the very end that day. When I think about how hot it must have been at that moment, I tear up," expressing her sorrow.
The bereaved families of B, a public official in his 30s affiliated with Changnyeong-gun and the only public official who died in this accident, could not contain their anger. They cried out, "What will happen to our son?" and "Sorry we couldn’t protect him." A relative of B said, "If the wind was blowing strongly that day, shouldn’t safety have been prioritized before deployment? We still haven’t received a proper briefing on how the accident happened. Four people died, but no one is taking responsibility, so it’s absurd and infuriating," expressing their frustration.
B’s colleagues said he was an employee who did his best in his duties. An employee who worked in the same department with B for a year said, "I remember him as an employee who always worked with enthusiasm without complaints. I heard the fire was so fierce that the wildfire suppression vehicle was completely burned due to strong winds and backdrafts, but I will never forget B who did his best until the end," he said.
Seong Nak-in, the mayor of Changnyeong-gun, who arrived at the funeral hall that day, expressed condolences, saying, "First of all, I am sorry as the mayor that our local people suffered an unexpected accident, and I pray for the repose of the deceased. Since the Korea Forest Service and Gyeongnam Province manage the suppression work, we will do our best to provide the highest respect for the funerals of the deceased and the treatment of the injured within the county," he said.
The deceased in this accident were all deployed to the site on the 22nd to extinguish a fire that broke out around 3:28 p.m. on the 21st in a mountain in Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong-gun, and were found dead at the 7th ridge of the mountain. Changnyeong-gun has set up a joint memorial altar at the Changnyeong-gun Citizen Gymnasium in Changnyeong-eup and will operate it for four days from the 24th. In addition, a mourning period has been set for five days until the 27th, during which all events will be suspended. Park Wan-su, governor of Gyeongnam Province, mourned the deceased and comforted the bereaved families, while ordering the wildfire to be extinguished as soon as possible. Gyeongsangnam-do plans to establish a post-management system including support for the injured, deceased, and bereaved families, as well as psychological recovery.
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