Fire authorities urged caution, noting that fire accidents also occur frequently in summer when the use of cooling appliances such as air conditioners and fans surges.
According to the National Fire Agency on the 26th, there were a total of 2,184 fires involving cooling appliances over the past five years (2021–2025). As a result, 31 people died and 136 were injured. Property damage also reached 14.2 billion won.
A review of the months when cooling appliance fires occurred last year found they were concentrated in July–August, when the use of air conditioners and fans increases. There were 356 air conditioner fires in total last year, with 117 in July and 103 in August, meaning summer accidents accounted for 61.8%.
Over the past five years, about 79% of air conditioner fires and about 68% of fan fires were caused by electrical factors. Mechanical factors such as motor overheating or overload, as well as user carelessness, were also cited as major causes of fires.
The National Fire Agency said, "Please make it a habit to follow basic electrical fire prevention rules, such as using a dedicated single outlet for air conditioners and keeping the outdoor unit area clean, avoiding multi-tap 'octopus' outlets, and unplugging devices that are not in use."