"What if I die? I can't breathe"... First caller in Eunma fire was 17-year-old Kim, who later died

According to Financial News, the 17-year-old girl who died in the Eunma Town Apartments fire in Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, has been identified as the first person to call in the blaze.
According to a recording of the emergency call that Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmaker Yang Bu-nam received from the National Fire Agency (NFA) on the 28th, the first report came in at 6:18 a.m. on the 24th. The first caller was confirmed to be a 17-year-old girl surnamed Kim, who lost her life in the fire.
In the recording, Kim can be heard urgently saying, "There's a fire right now." When fire officials asked for her building and unit number, she responded, "Which building is this? What am I supposed to do? What if I die? I can't breathe, what am I supposed to do?" The transcript shows her in a state of extreme fear.
Investigators believe Kim made the call from near a window inside the apartment, unable to escape to the hallway when the fire broke out. When asked how many people were inside, she answered, "Three," then added, "I think one or two people got out. Please come quickly," pleading for rescue.
Around 6:20 a.m., Kim's family members also called 119 Emergency Services, crying out, "What about my sister?" and "My daughter is in there," as they begged for help. The transcript reportedly also includes a bystander saying, "Where did the sister go? Why isn't she coming out?"
According to the NFA's fire situation report, the fire detector inside the unit is believed not to have activated at the time of the blaze. Only the manual alarm and emergency broadcasting system were confirmed to have worked properly. Fire authorities believe the fire started near the kitchen floor inside the apartment.
The fire completely destroyed one unit on the 8th floor and partially burned the veranda of a unit on the 9th floor. Property damage has been estimated at a total of 77.36 million won, including 33.76 million won in real estate damage and 43.6 million won in damage to movable property.
To determine the cause of the fire, police have asked the National Forensic Service (NFS) to conduct a detailed analysis of lighting fixtures and other electrical devices collected from the scene.

sms@fnnews.com Seong Min-seo Reporter