"Fire Won't Go Out" Mistaken for Detector Malfunction... Man in His 80s Dies in Gimje

The house where the fire occurred. Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters

It was belatedly revealed that, during a fire at a house in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, in which a resident in their 80s died, the fire alarm did activate, but the fire authorities misinterpreted the signal and delayed their dispatch.

According to the Jeonbuk Provincial Fire Headquarters on December 11, at around 12:41 a.m. on December 6, an emergency call was made to 119 from a house in Gimje via an emergency safety service device (fire detector). In response, the 119 control room operator attempted to contact the resident, an individual in their 80s, referred to as A.

A explained to the firefighter, "The fire won't go out, there's a strange noise right now, it's pitch dark and this is serious." However, the operator misunderstood this as being caused by the light of the fire detector rather than an actual fire, and did not issue a dispatch order.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare, which also received the emergency call, checked with the fire authorities about whether they would be dispatched, but the control room operator ended the call after explaining the possibility of a malfunction in the detector.

However, 12 minutes later, at 12:53 a.m., a neighbor reported to the 119 control room that a fire had broken out. Only then did firefighters respond, but by that time the blaze had already spread. The fire was not extinguished until 2:09 a.m., about one hour and ten minutes later, and A was found inside the house, burned to death.

After these facts became known, the Jeonbuk Provincial Fire Headquarters stated, "Due to an incorrect judgment and complacent handling during the call reception process, the dispatch was delayed," and added, "We sincerely apologize to the bereaved family and offer our deepest condolences."

The headquarters continued, "We have launched an investigation to thoroughly ascertain the facts, and will take strict action based on the investigation's results. We will also strengthen procedures so that, when receiving 119 emergency calls, the situation is assessed through cross-verification rather than relying on the judgment of a single operator, to ensure accurate assessment of the situation."