Fire ignited by careless work parking lot ceiling pipeline

By Lim Chang-won Posted : December 22, 2017, 16:08 Updated : December 22, 2017, 16:08
 

[Yonhap Photo]


SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Aju News) -- State regulators conducted a safety check of a sports and leisure building scorched by a deadly fire, ignited by careless work on pipelines, that killed 29 people as firefighters blamed toxic gas from combustible materials for hampering their operation.

The fire gutted an eight-story building Thursday in Jecheon, about 115 kilometers (71 miles) southeast of Seoul, that housed a public sauna, a fitness center, restaurants and leisure facilities.

In a forensic examination on Friday, investigators said fireworks spattered during work on pipelines on the ceiling of the first-floor parking lot were transferred to styrofoam installed for damp-proof, with the flame spreading to cars parked on the ground.

Firefighters said many victims were suffocated by toxic smoke from a lot of inflammable materials used for the building's interior and exterior, including Dryvit, a synthetic version of cement siding.

Lee Sang-min, head of the city's fire department, said in a televised news conference that the blaze started in the parking lot, packed with 15 cars, and spread quickly through the passageway of a freight elevator.

The fatal victims included 23 women, and 20 bodies were found entangled near the automatic glass door of a public sauna for women on the second floor, he said.

"Probably they had no time to escape because the fire spread so quickly," Lee said, adding there was no safe escape route because the blaze engulfed the only main entrance to the sauna and parked cars.

Relatives of the victims argued a sluggish initial response led to a high death toll. Firefighters said fire engines and rescue vehicles could not find a quick approach due to many cars parked in and around the building, while its complicated internal structure and toxic gas delayed a rescue operation.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport launched a joint inspection with a state safety watch to see if the building violated any safety regulations.
 
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