Fire in 24 Power Sockets, Why Wasn't There a Sprinkler in Chosun University Surgery Room (Comprehensive 2)

[Financial News] A fire broke out in the medical power supply equipment in the operating room of Chosun University Hospital in Gwangju, and the fire authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.

According to the Gwangju City Fire Department, a fire occurred at around 8:12 a.m. in Operating Room 7 on the 3rd floor of the new building of Chosun University Hospital in Seoseok-dong, Dong-gu on the 14th.

The fire was confirmed to have started from the medical power supply device installed in the operating room. This device, which supplies power to various medical equipment, is a 'medical multi-outlet' installed in a square pillar shape.

This device has a total of 24 power sockets, with two 110V outlets and four 220V outlets on each of its four sides.

The fire authorities identified that some medical devices were connected to this device at the time of the fire, but the specific types and usage of the equipment have not yet been confirmed.

Considering that the fire started from the power supply device, the authorities are focusing on the possibility of ignition due to electrical causes. They plan to determine specific ignition factors such as short circuits, overloads, or short circuits.

According to statistics from the Fire Department, out of 405,977 fires nationwide over the past 10 years (2015-2024), 96,901 fires (23.9%) were caused by electrical factors. This was the second most common cause after negligence, which accounted for 200,931 cases (49.5%).

Last year, there were 168 fires in medical facilities, resulting in 7 injuries and property damage amounting to 1.214 billion won.

This fire was extinguished by the medical staff using a fire extinguisher within about 10 minutes. 35 medical staff who inhaled smoke received oxygen treatment but are not in life-threatening condition.

40 patients and medical staff in the same building completed a safe evacuation.

During the fire, emergency alarms and other firefighting equipment operated normally. Sprinklers were not installed in the operating room because the water damage could be greater than the fire damage, and thus it is not a mandatory installation.
ahnman@fnnews.com Ahn Seunghyun Hwang Taejong Reporter