Casualties in aging complex completed in 1979
Absence of sprinklers hampers initial response
Double and triple parking disrupts fire truck access
Aging apartment complexes left in a fire safety blind spot
A tragic incident occurred at Eunma Apartment in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where a teenage girl who was about to enter high school died in a fire. As casualties have occurred in this representative aging complex, which was completed more than 47 years ago, safety issues such as fire protection systems and parking conditions are once again under scrutiny.
Teenage student who dreamed of becoming a doctor killed in accident
According to the fire authorities on the 26th, at around 6:18 a.m. on the 24th, a fire broke out on the 8th floor of Eunma Apartment in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. In this fire, a 16-year-old girl, referred to as A, died, while her mother in her 40s and her younger teenage sister are receiving hospital treatment for burns and smoke inhalation. A woman in her 50s who lived in the unit above also suffered injuries from smoke inhalation.
At around 6:18 a.m. on the 24th, a fire at Eunma Apartment in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, killed one person and injured two others in the same unit, who suffered facial burns and smoke inhalation and were rescued. About 70 apartment residents evacuated on their own. Yonhap News
The bereaved family of A is reported to have moved into this apartment, located in the heart of the Daechi-dong private education district, on the 19th, five days before the fire, ahead of the victim’s entry into high school. A was a student who dreamed of becoming a doctor.
Absence of sprinklers and double parking...Delayed initial response
Eunma Apartment, which was completed in 1979, is not subject to mandatory sprinkler installation. This is because the building was constructed before the 1992 revision of the Fire Services Act that made sprinkler systems mandatory in multi-family housing. In fact, it has been confirmed that no sprinklers were installed in the 8th-floor unit where the fire occurred.
The Eunma Apartment fire has reignited concerns over fire safety in aging apartment complexes. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters, among 10,602 residential fires that occurred in Seoul over the past five years, all 116 fatalities were in homes without sprinkler systems. This shows that casualties are repeatedly occurring in older homes without sprinklers.
Analyses suggest that the narrow ground-level parking space hindered the initial response. Eunma Apartment is a large complex with as many as 4,424 units, but the number of parking spaces per unit is only about 1.13, and there is no underground parking lot. As many households reportedly own two or more vehicles, double and even triple parking is said to be commonplace in the complex’s parking areas.
Meanwhile, it is known that interior remodeling work inside A’s home had continued until recently. The police are investigating the exact cause of the fire, keeping in mind the possibility of ignition due to electrical factors. The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen and then spread, and no suspicion of arson or other criminal activity has been found.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
