A fire broke out in an apartment in Mapo District, Seoul, leading to the deaths of a mother and her son. Concerns have been raised that the absence of sprinklers in the apartment exacerbated the damage.
According to police and fire authorities on the 17th, at around 8:10 a.m. that day, a fire broke out on the 14th floor of a 20-story apartment in Seoul, resulting in the death of a mother and her son, and injuring 13 residents. After receiving reports of "black smoke billowing," firefighters declared a response level 1 and deployed 79 vehicles and 252 personnel. The fire was completely extinguished by 10:42 a.m.
The son, in his 20s, died at the scene. The mother, in her 60s, was transported to the hospital after receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but ultimately passed away. A 60-year-old man also resided in the unit where the fire broke out and was reported to have evacuated independently. At the time of the fire, it was reported that he was reaching out to neighbors, asking, "Haven't you seen my son?" while searching for his family.
The apartment in question is an older building constructed in 1998. At that time, the law stated, "For multi-family housing over 16 stories, sprinklers can only be installed on floors above the 16th floor." In 2004, the law was amended to require sprinklers to be installed in all apartments above 11 stories.