The basement level 1 parking lot of the Cheongna apartment in Incheon, where an electric vehicle fire occurred on Aug. 1, 2024, is 57,140 square meters, about the size of eight soccer fields. But this parking lot was connected without separate fire compartments by area. As criticism grew that large underground parking lots are vulnerable to fire spread, the government said it would establish appropriate fire compartment standards.
But even now, two years after the fire, related standards have not been established. An amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Building Act to tighten the requirements for parking lots that receive eased application of fire compartments also passed its original target of June. A plan to surround three sides of electric vehicle charging areas with firewalls failed to reach a conclusion due to concerns about the buildup of smoke and flammable gases and interference with firefighter access. Standards for smoke control and exhaust systems for underground parking lot fires also remain under review.
◇ Said fire compartments would be created… even revising exception conditions is delayed
The National Fire Agency formed a task force with related ministries and experts after the Cheongna fire and announced a "comprehensive fire safety plan for electric vehicle fires in underground parking lots" in February last year. It presented 19 tasks across four fields: fire prevention and building structure, fire response, and firefighting equipment.
The building structure field included four tasks: securing flame-retardant performance of combustible materials on underground parking lot ceilings; establishing appropriate fire compartment standards for large underground parking lots; setting location standards for electric vehicle charging areas; and improving smoke exhaust performance in underground parking lots. But core standards such as fire compartments and smoke exhaust have not yet been institutionalized.
A fire compartment is a facility that divides the interior of a building with fire-resistant walls and floors and fire doors to prevent flames and smoke from spreading to other spaces during a fire. Under current standards, buildings above a certain size are, in principle, required to install fire compartments by area. Floors of 10 stories or fewer must be compartmentalized every 1,000 square meters of floor area. If automatic extinguishing systems such as sprinklers are installed, compartments must be provided every 3,000 square meters.
However, parking lots whose principal structural members are made of fire-resistant structures or noncombustible materials may be exempted from or have relaxed fire compartment standards. The Cheongna apartment underground parking lot also received such an exception and was designed to be continuous without area-by-area fire compartments. In the event of a fire, it was a structure in which flames and smoke could spread to a large parking area.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport gave advance notice in December last year of an amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Building Act to strengthen the conditions for easing fire compartments in parking lots. The content makes not only the principal structural members but also finishing materials used on interior ceilings, soffits, walls, and columns conditions for easing fire compartments. Although the plan was to complete the revision by June, the amendment has not yet been promulgated.
This amendment also does not mandate that large underground parking lots be directly divided by a set area. It only strengthens the exception conditions for not installing fire compartments. Separate research and institutional improvements are needed to establish the "appropriate fire compartment standards for large underground parking lots" presented in the comprehensive plan.
An official at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, "We planned to revise the decree by June, but the schedule was delayed as we reviewed regulations related not only to electric vehicle fires but also to factory fires during the screening process."
◇ Application of three-sided firewalls deferred… smoke exhaust system standards also incomplete
A plan to surround three sides of electric vehicle charging areas with firewalls also failed to reach a conclusion. This plan was reflected in performance-based design evaluation standards in some regions to prevent electric vehicle fires from spreading to adjacent vehicles.
However, concerns were raised that smoke and flammable gases could accumulate inside the firewall and that it could hinder firefighter access and fire suppression. There were also concerns that blind spots could form in underground parking lots, increasing crime risks.
The National Fire Agency decided to defer the application of three-sided firewalls and conduct follow-up research to examine these issues. During the review, analyses suggested that the side effects in smoke exhaust, evacuation, and fire suppression could outweigh the benefits of preventing fire spread, making its application uncertain.
Standards for smoke exhaust in underground parking lots also remain a task for system improvements. At the time of the Cheongna fire, it was found that combustion gases escaped through a vent above the vehicle where the fire started, which partially curbed the spread of damage. Based on this, the government decided to review plans to strengthen standards for exhaust outlets and ventilation systems in underground parking lots and to install dedicated fire smoke control and exhaust systems.
The current Building Act mandates the installation of smoke exhaust systems in rooms of certain types of buildings with six or more floors, but underground parking lots are excluded. While general ventilation systems to remove automobile exhaust are installed in underground parking lots, criticism holds that they have limits in controlling and exhausting the large volumes of smoke and toxic gases that occur during fires.
A researcher in the electric vehicle fire field who requested anonymity said, "In large underground parking lots, measures to reduce the spread range of flames and smoke through fire compartments and to remove smoke and toxic gases with smoke control and exhaust systems must be prepared together," adding, "It has been two years since the Cheongna fire occurred, but the core standards to support this remain unfinished."