Blaze at Bucheon hotel leaves at least 7 dead, 11 others injured

A fire broke out at a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, Thursday evening, leaving at least seven dead and 11 others injured, according to fire authorities.

A fire at a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, Thursday evening. [YONHAP]

A fire broke out at a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, Thursday evening, leaving at least seven dead and 11 others injured, according to fire authorities.

According to the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters Thursday, a fire broke out on the 8th floor of a nine-story hotel in Jung-dong in Wonmi District in Bucheon at around 7:39 p.m.

An initial witness reported the fire to authorities saying that "smoke is coming from the guest room on the 8th floor," and about 20 similar reports followed.

One guest from the hotel died at the scene, and four others were sent to nearby hospitals in a state of cardiac arrest as of 9:35 p.m. Some of the injured guests reportedly sustained their injuries by jumping from their hotel rooms onto air mattresses installed on the ground floor outside.

Fire authorities issued a level 2 response 18 minutes after the fire broke out and began rescue and extinguishing operations.

Level 2 response is an alert that mobilizes personnel and equipment from five to six nearby fire stations.

Fire authorities dispatched a total of 46 vehicles, including command vehicles and water pump trucks, and 153 firefighters to the scene.

"We are currently in the process of extinguishing the fire and conducting rescue operations, so the exact scale of casualties is unknown," a fire department official told reporters. "As we are still recusing guests, the number of casualties could increase."

Update, Aug. 22: Updated number of deaths and casualties.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]