Firefighter with no protective gear puts out an apartment fire on his day off and saves two children

Sobangjang (fire sergeant) Yang Il-gon of the Mapo Fire Station, Seoul. Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters

A firefighter who, on his day off, happened to be passing by a complex where an apartment caught fire battled the fire without any gear and saved the lives of two children.

On August 11, the Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters announced that at 9:58 a.m. August 4, Sobangjang (fire sergeant) Yang Il-gon of the Field Response Team at the Mapo Fire Station extinguished a fire that had just broken out in an apartment in Gimpo-si, preventing any human injuries.

Yang was off duty that day and was returning home after tending to his private affairs when he caught sight of black smoke rising from an apartment complex. After confirming black smoke and sparks from the section for outdoor fans in an apartment on the second floor, he immediately called 119 and reported the fire and ran to the scene.

Yang found the building’s fire hydrant system on the second floor and rang the emergency alarm to notify residents of the fire. He then connected the hose to the fire hydrant, pulled the hose to the front door of the apartment and prepared to put out the fire. Two elementary school children were inside the home at the time. Yang first evacuated the children and began extinguishing the fire. Firefighters from a nearby fire station soon arrived and the fire was completely dead at 10:12 a.m.

According to the fire authorities, no one was injured in the fire this day. The children in the apartment at the time inhaled some smoke but did not require medical attention, so they were not transported to the hospital.

Yang’s story appeared on a page for compliments on the Seoul city website on August 7. The person who posted the story claimed to be the manager of the apartment complex where the fire occurred. He described the situation and wrote, “He (Yang) was fighting the fire changing the direction of the fire hose this way and that, his face black, covered in soot.” He also mentioned that after asking around he found out that he was a firefighter at the Mapo Fire Station.

He added, “I would like to thank the firefighter Yang Il-gon once again for protecting the lives and property of many residents by fighting a fire with no protective gear, without any equipment and with no thoughts for his own safety, when he was not even on duty.”

Yang Il-gon said, “Any firefighter would have instinctively acted at the sight of the fire. I also felt the importance of a proper initial response, such as the use of the fire hydrant system installed in the building before the firefighters arrived.” He also said, “Luckily, the children were safe, and I want to thank the employees in the apartment management center for their help.”

Kim Yong-geun, chief of the Mapo Fire Station said, “The fire broke out in the morning, when many residents were not at home. It could have led to a big accident, but thanks to Yang’s swift and brave response, it ended without any injuries,” and added, “We will continue to do our utmost to guarantee the lives and safety of the citizens.”