[Iclickart]
A voluntary fire team could do nothing but watch a rice mill burning down to ashes because its fire engine was brought in with no water by professional mistake.
The ridiculous scene was reported in the mountainous town of Choopoongryeong, some 174 kilometers (108 miles) south of Seoul on Saturday when voluntary firefighters in the town received an order to move first.
They were rushed to the scene but ran about in confusion after the water tank of their fire vehicle was nearly empty. The mill was completely wrapped in flames when an official team from a county fire station in Yeongdong came eight minutes later.
The blaze left property damage estimated at 50 million won (45,826 US dollars). However, the fire brigade would not be punished for its blunder because it comprised of unprofessional people who volunteered to protect their village. South Korea's fire department has been backed by such voluntary fire brigades in remote areas.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
