7 dead, 12 injured in hotel fire in Bucheon
SEOUL, Aug. 23 (AJU PRESS) – A fire at a hotel in Bucheon, west of Seoul, killed seven people and injured a dozen others on Thursday.
According to authorities, the fire broke out at around 7:39 p.m. (10:39 GMT) on the eighth floor of the nine-story building and quickly spread to the upper floors, creating thick smoke. The fire was completely extinguished by 10:26 p.m., nearly three hours later. Toxic fumes were cited as the main cause of the casualties.
According to initial investigations, it is assumed that the fire broke out in a room on the eighth floor. The resident of this room had previously reported the smell of fire and asked to be moved.
Most of the victims were found in rooms, hallways and stairwells on the eighth and ninth floors. Two victims – a man and a woman – jumped from the eighth floor onto an air mattress set up by firefighters, but did not survive the impact. “The air mattress was set up correctly, but flipped over after the jump,” an official said.
Built in 2003, the 64-room hotel did not have sprinkler systems in the rooms because the law requiring them in buildings with six or more stories did not come into force until 2017. At the time of the fire, 27 guests were staying at the hotel.
