Fire Believed to Have Started in Kitchen
Calls for "Sprinkler Support" Raised
A fire broke out at Eunma Apartment in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and it was revealed that the first person to report the incident was a teenage girl who died in the accident.
At around 6:18 a.m. on the 24th, a fire broke out at Eunma Apartment in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, resulting in one death. Two other residents in the same unit suffered facial burns and smoke inhalation and were rescued. About 70 residents evacuated on their own. Yonhap News
According to a transcript submitted by Yang Bunam, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, to the National Fire Agency on February 28, the first emergency call was received at 6:18 a.m. on the 24th. It was confirmed that the initial caller was the teenage girl, referred to as Ms. A, who later lost her life in the fire. During her call, she stated, "There is a fire right now." When asked for the address, Ms. A responded, "Eunma Apartment in Daechi-dong." When a firefighter inquired about her unit number, she expressed fear, saying, "Which building is it... I can't breathe, what should I do?" It is known that Ms. A's family had moved into this apartment, located in the center of Daechi-dong's private education district, just five days before the fire, on the 19th, ahead of her high school admission.
When the firefighter asked where the fire had started, she replied, "I don't know. The fire is just too big. Please come quickly," conveying the urgency of the situation. Asked how many people were in the home, she answered, "Three," and added, "I am at the window right now. It seems one or two people have gone outside."
In another transcript, presumed to be a call from Ms. A's family at around 6:20 a.m., they said, "What about my sister? Please come quickly," and "My daughter is here." The recording also captured the caller telling someone nearby, "Where did my sister go? Why isn't she coming out?"
Meanwhile, it was found that the fire detector inside the unit did not operate at the time of the Eunma Apartment fire in Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 24th. Only the transmitter and emergency broadcasting equipment were activated. The fire authorities believe the fire started near the kitchen floor inside the unit.
The fire completely destroyed one unit on the 8th floor and partially damaged a veranda on the 9th floor. There were four casualties as a result of the fire. The fire department estimated the property damage at approximately 77.36 million won (33.76 million won in real estate, 43.6 million won in personal property). The police sent some electrical appliances, including lighting fixtures collected at the scene, to the National Forensic Service for analysis.
Eunma Apartment was built in 1979 and was not required to have sprinklers installed. As a result, it was not adequately equipped with fire prevention facilities. In the wake of the Eunma Apartment fire, the issue of fire safety in aging apartments has come under renewed scrutiny. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters, all 116 deaths among the 10,602 residential fires that occurred in Seoul over the past five years happened in homes without sprinklers. Experts have pointed out, "For older buildings without sprinklers, the government and local authorities need to consider providing financial support for installation costs."
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