A heartbreaking accident in which young sisters died in a fire while their parents were away from home has occurred again in less than ten days. In both incidents, the parents were not at home, and the two families of young sisters lost their lives due to similar electrical accidents that caused the fires.
The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency and the Busan Fire Department announced on July 3 that two sisters, aged 8 and 6, died in a fire that broke out in an apartment in Gijang-gun, Busan, at 10:58 p.m. on July 2.
An apartment in Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan, caught fire around 10:58 p.m. on the 2nd and is charred black. Provided by Busan Metropolitan Police Agency.
According to the police and fire authorities, the fire started on the 6th floor of an apartment in Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan, at 10:58 p.m. on July 2. The apartment manager called 119 after hearing a fire alarm and seeing black smoke.
Firefighters who arrived at the scene opened the door and found the two sisters, aged 8 and 6, unconscious and collapsed. One was found near the inner door at the entrance, and the other was found near the living room balcony. The sisters were immediately taken to the hospital but ultimately died.
It was reported that the parents were not at home at the time. The fire is believed to have started while the parents were out, having left the children at home about 20 minutes earlier.
About 100 residents of the apartment evacuated due to the fire. Although the fire was extinguished in about 35 minutes, most of the interior of the home was destroyed. There was reportedly a power outage in the apartment before the fire broke out.
The apartment consists of one basement floor and 13 above-ground floors, and it was confirmed that the automatic fire detection system functioned properly that day.
The police and fire authorities are investigating the cause of the fire and plan to determine the exact cause through a joint inspection at 10 a.m. on July 3.
Previously, on June 24, a fire in an apartment in Gaegeum-dong, Busanjin-gu, also claimed the lives of two young sisters.
Following a joint inspection, the police and fire authorities stated, "The fire is believed to have started and spread from an electrical cause at the outlet where the power cords for electronic devices such as a computer were connected in the living room."
In this fire, a 7-year-old girl who had been in critical condition died during treatment on June 25. The 10-year-old girl who died the previous day was confirmed through autopsy to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning. In accordance with the wishes of the family, the 7-year-old girl was laid to rest without an autopsy.
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