Two firefighters were killed in a blaze at a frozen storage warehouse in Wando County, South Jeolla Province, and police have launched a full investigation to determine what happened.
Wando Police Station said on the 13th that it set up a headquarters for investigating the warehouse fire.
To verify how the fire started, police are investigating a person surnamed Kim in his 60s, who did floor-paint work at the frozen warehouse just before the fire, among others. Four people, including firefighters who were at the scene and the warehouse owner, are being questioned as references.
If those responsible for the blaze are identified during the investigation, police plan to book them in sequence.
The National Forensic Service, the police forensics team, and the fire investigation team conducted a joint on-site examination. Based on statements that a torch was used while removing floor paint, police plan to determine the cause of the fire.
At the time, maintenance work was underway on the warehouse floor because the existing epoxy paint had been damaged. The damaged epoxy was scraped off mechanically, and the insufficient parts were heated with a torch to remove them, and it is highly likely that the fire started during this process.
Police also plan to continue questioning coworkers who worked with Mr. A on the floor work and other tasks.
The warehouse fire broke out at 8:25 a.m. on the 12th at a seafood processing company in Gunoemyeon, Wando County. Seven firefighters were dispatched to the scene, completed suppression, and withdrew, but when smoke reappeared, they went back inside. After the second entry, vapor exploded, isolating two firefighters, who were later found dead.