On the 22nd, a fire broke out at a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, resulting in the death of 7 people. An air mattress set up in front of the building (left photo) overturned after one guest jumped off it (right photo), and the next guest who jumped off it landed on the floor and died. Photo captured from MBC News
, ‘A large number of casualties occurred, including 7 deaths, due to a fire at a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi. In particular, there is controversy surrounding the deaths of 2 guests who jumped onto an air mattress installed by the fire department at the scene but ended up overturning.’,
, ‘According to the police and Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters on the 23rd, a fire broke out at a 9-story hotel building in Jung-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi around 7:34 pm on the 22nd. The fire department received the first report of smoke from room 810 (actually the 7th floor) at 7:39 pm and arrived at the scene at 7:43 pm, just 4 minutes later.’,
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, ‘Five minutes later at 7:48 pm, the fire department installed a 7.5m wide, 4.5m long, 3m high air mattress near the hotel parking entrance. The air mattress weighed 126kg without air. This air mattress was designed as a life-saving rescue equipment that allows people to survive even when jumping from a height of up to 30m (10th floor). It is carried on pump trucks and installed by 4 to 5 members of the rescue team on site.’,
, ‘Two men and women on the 7th floor jumped onto the air mattress when the fire and smoke spread rapidly, about 7 minutes after the air mattress was installed at 7:55 pm. However, the woman who jumped first landed on the edge of the air mattress toward the building and as soon as she fell, the air mattress flipped over like a sticker. The male guest then jumped immediately, and as the air mattress flipped over, he fell to the outside floor. In a video shot by citizens at the scene, a man can be heard shouting, “Help me.” The video clearly shows the moment when a person jumps onto the air mattress and it flips over.’,
, ‘A nearby store employee, Mr. Go, said, “I saw people jump onto the air mattress and saw the rescue team performing CPR.” Similar eyewitness accounts were also shared on social networking services (SNS). One eyewitness said, “The first person who jumped fell on the edge, causing the air mattress to flip over significantly.” They also explained, “The second person almost fell to the floor while not knowing that the mattress had flipped over.” Photos of the overturned mattress with the letters “119 Bucheon Fire Department” appearing upside down were shared one after another.’,
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Reporter Kim Young-ok
, ‘Some have raised suspicions that the air mattress was not properly installed from the beginning. In response, the fire department stated, “The mattress is designed for the 10th floor, and jumping from the 7th floor should not pose a problem.” They explained, “When the woman fell on the edge, the air mattress flipped over, which is not a common occurrence.”‘,
, ‘When Minister Lee Sang-min of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety visited the fire department that day, he asked Director Cho Seon-ho of the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters, “While I watched the video, the air mattress flipped over. Was there a mistake in the installation?” He also asked, “Was there no one to hold the air mattress?” Director Cho explained the situation and replied, “We believe there was a lack of personnel at the time to hold the air mattress.”‘,
, ‘Although there is no manual specifying that rescue team members should hold the air mattress at the scene, experts pointed out that it is not common for the air mattress to flip over. Professor Gong Ha-seong from Woosuk University’s Fire and Disaster Prevention Department stated, “Rescue air mattresses should be designed to have no issues even when falling on the edge and should not flip over. There is no manual that states firefighters should hold the air mattress.” He added, “It is necessary to investigate whether there was a problem with the installation that caused it to flip over or if the air mattress was defective from the beginning or lacked proper maintenance.”‘,
, ‘There are also questions raised about the performance of the air mattress. The overturned air mattress was provided in 2006. The usable lifespan of an air safety mattress is 7 years. A Gyeonggi Fire official explained, “Even if the usable lifespan of the air mattress has ended, it can be reused after evaluation.” Additionally, factors such as the air volume of the air mattress, the location of installation in a sloped hotel parking lot, need to be further examined.’,
Reporter Kim Young-ok
, ‘It is pointed out that using an air mattress from a high-rise building is inherently risky. Baek Dong-hyun, an emeritus professor of fire prevention at Gachon University, stated, “Air safety mattresses need to fall precisely in the right spot to have the desired rescue effect. As the height increases, it becomes difficult to land in the right spot when jumping, so in high-rise buildings, they should be used as a last resort for rescue.”‘,
, ‘For this reason, the current regulations on fire departments only certify the performance of air safety mattresses up to a height of 15m, equivalent to about 5 floors. Air safety mattresses of other specifications undergo self-performance tests through private certification bodies. Fire department standards also only apply to mats used up to a height of 16m.’,
, ‘However, Professor Lee Yong-jae from Kyungmin University’s Fire Safety Management Department commented, “In a rescue situation, it’s hard to say not to use them,” adding, “In cases where a high-rise building is on fire with no other rescue alternative, air mattresses should be used for rescue.”‘,
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, ‘It is also cited that the fact that the hotel, which was completed before the fire law was revised in 2003, is not required to install sprinklers contributed to the increased damage. According to the revised Construction Fire Law in 2017, buildings with 2 or more floors, an area of 500 square meters or larger, and a height of 13m or more must install sprinklers, but this does not apply to buildings constructed prior to these requirements.’,
, ‘As a hotel, when bedding or furniture catches fire, the smoke and toxic gases generated spread rapidly through narrow corridors, causing a missed golden evacuation opportunity.’,
, ‘Director Cho mentioned in a briefing that day, “Smoke rapidly spread because the door of room 810, where the fire broke out, was open,” and “In CCTV footage, about 48 minutes after the fire started, the hallway was full of smoke. Due to the hotel’s narrow corridors, smoke quickly filled the space.” Im Sang-don, head of fire prevention at the Bucheon Fire Department, explained at a briefing that morning, “When the first rescue team arrived, there was a rapid expansion of flames on the 8th floor and smoke was venting through the windows.” All 7 fatalities were hotel guests on the 7th and 8th floors. In addition to the 2 deaths from jumping onto the air mattress, the other 5 were presumed to have died from smoke inhalation in their rooms, corridors, stairs, etc.’,
, ‘The police are conducting a joint inspection with the fire department to determine the exact cause of the fire and whether the hotel has properly equipped evacuation facilities.