"Mother and Eldest Son Die" Fire in Apartment in Buk-gu, Busan

[Financial News] A tragic incident occurred where a mother and son died in a fire at an apartment in Busan. 

According to the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters and the Busan Northern Police Station, at 12:22 PM on the 13th, a fire broke out on the 2nd floor of an apartment in Mandeok-dong, Buk-gu, Busan.

The fire was reported by a resident on the 2nd floor who saw smoke and flames.

The fire authorities issued a first-level response at 12:42 PM and conducted fire suppression and rescue operations. Using ladder trucks, they rescued 5 people from the rooftop and 3 people from inside the apartment.

Among the 3 family members rescued from inside the apartment, the mother, an 80s woman identified as Ms. A, and her son, a 50s man identified as Mr. B, were taken to the hospital while receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but ultimately died.

The younger son, a 40s man, suffered burns on both arms and is receiving treatment at the hospital. It is reported that there is currently no threat to his life.

Four people rescued from the rooftop and one resident also inhaled smoke and were taken to the hospital.

The fire authorities extinguished the fire completely at 1:57 PM.

The apartment in question is known to not have sprinklers installed. The apartment where the fire occurred is a 15-story building that received construction approval in 2006.

According to the Fire Facilities Act, the obligation to install sprinklers began to apply to buildings of 16 stories or more from June 1990.

In 2005, it was expanded to 11 stories or more, and from 2018, to 6 stories or more.

However, buildings constructed before the law was enacted are not retroactively applied, leaving old apartments in a safety blind spot.

Earlier, on the 2nd of this month and on the 24th of last month, fires broke out in apartments in Busan without sprinklers, resulting in the deaths of a total of 4 children. In response, the Busan City is conducting a full survey of apartments without sprinklers.

Meanwhile, the police and fire authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.

hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter