The fire at the Banyan Tree Haeundae Complex Resort construction site in Busan's Gijang County was extinguished after approximately 7 hours. The fire resulted in 6 fatalities and injured 27, leading to a total of 33 casualties.
According to the Fire Agency on the 14th, the fire that occurred around 10:51 a.m. was completely extinguished by 6:07 p.m., allowing the response phase to be lifted.
The fire authorities received the report and responded, arriving at the scene by 11 a.m. They issued a level 1 response 10 minutes later, and by noon, the response level was upgraded to level 2.
The fire authorities deployed 127 pieces of equipment and 352 personnel, including three helicopters, managing to control the flames by approximately 1:34 p.m., and announced the lifting of the response phase about 5 hours later.
Six construction site workers died in the fire, and 27 sustained minor injuries from smoke inhalation. Among them, 9 were transported to hospitals for treatment.
The fire authorities estimate that the blaze started from insulation materials piled near the construction site's indoor swimming pool.
The Busan Police Agency plans to form a dedicated team of 30 people, led by the Head of Team of the criminal mobile unit, to investigate the cause of the fire in conjunction with the scientific investigation team.
The fire investigation will be conducted jointly with the Busan Police Agency, Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters, National Forensic Service, and the National Disaster Safety Agency around 10:30 a.m. on the 16th.
The Banyan Tree Haeundae in Busan, where the fire broke out, began construction in April 2022 on a site of 41,280 square meters in the Ocyaria tourism complex in Gijang County.
The facility, comprising three buildings with 12 stories above ground and three below ground, was set to open in May and is considered a luxury resort rated over 5 stars.