Mother Climbs Down From 6th-Floor Balcony to Rescue Three Daughters Trapped by Apartment Fire

[The Financial News] When her young daughters were trapped by an apartment fire, a mother in her 40s climbed down from the upstairs unit’s balcony to rescue them.
According to The Dong-A Ilbo and Gwangyang Fire Station, Jeollanam-do, a call was made to 119 Emergency Services at around 5:23 p.m. the previous day, reporting a fire in a fifth-floor unit of an apartment in Gwangyang.
The fire is believed to have started due to poor management of an electric heater in the apartment’s living room.
At the time, three young daughters were inside the home. Their mother, identified as A, in her 40s, found it difficult to reach the living room as the flames and smoke spread, so she immediately went up to the sixth-floor unit above. From that unit’s balcony, she climbed down the exterior wall, which is about 13 meters high, to reach her own apartment and then led the children to safety in the master bedroom.
Fire authorities arrived five minutes after receiving the report and deployed 10 fire trucks, one police car, and a 52-meter ladder truck to carry out the rescue operation.
In the urgent situation, about 30 firefighters were mobilized, and the mother and her three daughters were all rescued 23 minutes after the initial call.
The fire was completely extinguished at around 6:18 p.m. that day, and the four family members were discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment.
They are currently staying in temporary accommodation, and Gwangyang-si is reportedly reviewing support measures to help stabilize their living situation.
Kim Ok-yeon, Chief of Gwangyang Fire Station, stated, "From the initial emergency call to arrival at the scene, the rescue of residents, and the extinguishing of the fire, a systematic response allowed us to protect precious lives."
newssu@fnnews.com Kim Su-yeon Reporter