Firefighters forced open the front door of a villa to evacuate residents during a fire, raising controversy over who should bear the expense of repairing the damaged door and lock. Following reports that the firefighter might have to bear the burden personally, inquiries about donations to cover the cost were received by the fire department.
According to the fire department on the 25th, a fire broke out on the second floor of a villa in Sinan-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, at about 2:52 a.m. on the 11th of last month. Thick black smoke filled the villa, and firefighters knocked on the doors of all units to urge evacuation. Five residents were evacuated outside, but there was no response from six units despite knocking on the doors. The fire department forced the front door open, suspecting there might be additional casualties, but no more residents were found.
A resident in his 30s, who lived in the unit where the fire started, was taken to the hospital but died. Consequently, villa residents demanded compensation from the fire department, stating that the firefighters caused damage by forcibly opening the front door and locking mechanism. Typically, the property owner of the unit where the fire occurred would compensate, but the occupant had died, and other homeowners were not insured for the fire. The compensation amount demanded by the residents is reported to be 8 million won.
If property damage occurs due to firefighting activities, compensation can be claimed through administrative liability insurance. However, this applies only to losses caused by firefighter mistakes or illegal acts. During this fire, firefighters legitimately searched for lives, so they cannot compensate residents through liability insurance. The Gwangju Fire Headquarters has set aside 10 million won for such circumstances but noted that spending 8 million won for a single fire is challenging. Concerns arose that the firefighter who forced open the front door might have to pay the 8 million won.
Upon learning of this fact, Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jeong stated on Facebook the previous day, "Firefighters rushing into a fire should not have to worry about compensation," adding, "Residents' unavoidable damages are the same. The administration will take responsibility."
On this day, National Fire Agency Commissioner Heo Seok-gon attended a full meeting of the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee and responded to concerns that firefighters might personally have to compensate for the damages by saying, "That is not the case." He continued, "We will compensate for the (losses) through appropriate budget allocation, and if it is insufficient, we can sufficiently compensate using reserve funds," adding, "I have confirmed that a budget of 10 million won has been allocated for the Gwangju Fire Department."
According to Gwangju North Fire Station, from the 23rd when this incident became known until today, there have been 17 inquiries from individuals or organizations visiting or calling the fire station regarding donations. These included offers to fully cover the repair costs or group donations collected with friends. The North Fire Station has decided to support the repair costs with the Gwangju Fire Headquarters budget and stated, "We will only accept the sentiment," and is not accepting donations.