Fire Breaks Out on 14th Floor of Apartment Built in 1998
No Sprinkler Requirement for Floors Below 15th Floor
A fire broke out in an apartment in Changjeon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, resulting in two deaths and thirteen injuries.
According to fire authorities on August 17, the fire occurred at around 8:11 a.m. in an apartment building located in Changjeon-dong, Mapo-gu, which has 20 floors above ground and one basement level. The fire started in a unit on the 14th floor of the 20-story apartment building.
Upon receiving a report of "black smoke," firefighters were dispatched and issued a Level 1 response at 8:16 a.m. A total of 252 personnel, including firefighters, and 79 fire trucks were mobilized to the scene. The fire was initially brought under control at around 9:57 a.m. and was fully extinguished by 10:42 a.m.
The fire resulted in a total of 15 casualties, with two people dead and thirteen injured. Three people, presumed to be family members, were living in the affected unit. Of these, one person was found dead at the scene. Another was transported to the hospital while receiving CPR but later died. The third person escaped with injuries.
The deceased-a man in his 20s and a woman in her 60s-were reportedly mother and son. The son died at the scene, while the mother was transported to the hospital after receiving CPR but did not survive. The other survivor, a man in his 60s who escaped on his own, was reported to have searched for his family, asking neighbors, "Have you seen my son?"
Of the thirteen injured, twelve sustained minor injuries and one was seriously injured. A total of 89 residents from the building evacuated. In response to the displaced residents, the Mapo District Office is discussing follow-up measures, including the provision of temporary shelters.
A fire department official stated, "Sprinklers were not installed on the 14th floor where the fire occurred, as it was not a floor required to have sprinklers at the time."
The apartment complex consists of 950 units and was completed in 1998. At the time of its completion, sprinkler installation was only mandatory for floors above the 16th floor in multi-family residential buildings with 16 or more floors.
According to data submitted to the National Fire Agency by Yang Bunam, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, 28,820 out of 44,208 old apartment complexes built before 2004-representing 65%-do not have sprinklers installed. Since 2004, sprinkler installation has been mandatory for all floors in apartment buildings with 11 or more stories.
Fire and police authorities are conducting a joint investigation, keeping all possibilities open-including arson-as they work to determine the exact cause of the fire and assess the extent of the damage.
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