The common cause of the apartment fire that led to the deaths of young sisters nine days apart in Busan is identified as a "multi-tap."
According to the Busan Fire Department and police on the 7th, the apartment fire in which an 8-year-old and a 6-year-old sister died on the 2nd of this month is presumed to have originated from a two-plug multi-tap connected to a stand-type living room air conditioner. It was found that the multi-tap had signs of stripped insulation and a short circuit. Additionally, not only the air conditioner but also an outdoor unit was plugged in.
In the case of high-power electronic devices, it is recommended not to plug them into a multi-tap simultaneously due to the risk of fire. Using a multi-tap without considering the power consumption or replacement cycle and connecting multiple electronic devices can increase the risk of fire due to overheating. If the current exceeds the maximum allowable power, the wires may overheat and lead to a fire.
The fire that claimed the lives of two sisters in Gaegum-dong, Busanjin-gu, is also presumed to have originated from a living room multi-tap on the early morning of the 24th of last month.
At that time, the joint inspection by relevant agencies revealed that electronic device wires, including those for computers, were connected to the multi-tap.
According to the Busan Fire Department, among the 23,547 fires that occurred in apartment buildings in Busan over the five years from 2020 to last year, 6,971 cases, or 29.6%, were caused by electrical factors. This is the second most common cause of fires after "carelessness."
Among electrical factors, fires caused by outlets show an increasing trend over the past five years. The number rose from 396 in 2020 to 435 in 2022, and to 504 last year, representing an increase of about 27% over five years.
The Busan Fire Department will conduct a fire experiment on the theme of "Verification of multi-tap ignition risk factors and safety measures" on the afternoon of the 10th. They will check the possibility of ignition due to the use of octopus-style outlets, whether there is overcurrent when using outlets that do not meet the rated capacity, and the risk of fire due to improper use, such as tangled cords or loose connections.