Air conditioner sparks fire in Bucheon as electrical cause suspected

Flowers are placed in front of the hotel in Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on August 25, three days after the fire that claimed the lives of seven guests. Jo Tae-hyeong

Police investigating a hotel fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, that resulted in seven deaths have upgraded their investigation headquarters and are accelerating their efforts to determine the cause of the fire.

Currently, “electrical factors” are considered the most likely cause of the fire. The victims’ funerals are expected to be completed by August 26.

According to the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, police changed the head of the Bucheon fire accident investigation headquarters from Song Yu-cheol, Chief of Bucheon Wonmi Police Station, to Kim Jong-min, Head of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency’s Regional Investigation Units. The move was made to upgrade the investigation headquarters to a regional unit, allowing for a more specialized investigation into the cause of the fire. The investigation headquarters consists of a total of 84 members.

The fire broke out at a hotel in Jung-dong, Bucheon, at 7:34 p.m. on the 22nd, resulting in 19 casualties, including seven deaths and 12 injuries. The National Forensic Service delivered its preliminary findings to the police, stating that “Five of the deceased are believed to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning and two from falls (on the air mat).”

The most likely cause of the fire is now considered to be “electrical.” Fire officials believe the fire started when sparks from the air conditioner fell after guests left the room and caught fire on the sofa and bed.

Air conditioner fires typically occur due to overload from prolonged operation or the accumulation of debris, such as dust, on aging wiring. The air conditioner in Room 810 was a wall-mounted unit, with a sofa positioned directly below it. A bed mattress was reportedly placed right next to the sofa. It is presumed that the fire spread throughout the room after igniting the mattress.

The deaths of two individuals who fell onto the air mat during the fire are expected to be a subject of controversy. Earlier, the first responders from the Bucheon Fire Department had installed the air mat, and just seven minutes later, two guests jumped onto it.

The first person landed near the edge of the air mat, and at that moment, the air mat flipped over due to the rebound effect. Two to three seconds later, the other guest jumped onto the mat but fell directly to the floor.

Both individuals were transported to the hospital in a state of cardiac arrest and were pronounced dead.

On the 23rd, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min commented at the scene, “The air mat flipped over. Was there an error in the installation, and was there no one to hold it in place?” “We believe that the air mat was not secured due to a lack of personnel at the time,” said Cho Seon-ho, Head of the Gyeonggi-do Fire & Disaster Headquarters.

The police have also launched a preliminary investigation (internal investigation) into online posts criticizing the victims and survivors of the Bucheon hotel fire. There are currently numerous defamatory and speculative posts on online communities concerning the victims, survivors, and their reasons for staying at the hotel on a weekday.

On the same day, the funeral of Ms. Kim (28), who died in the fire, was held at Bucheon St. Mary’s Hospital Funeral Home. Trapped in a hotel room during the fire, she called her mother and said, “I don’t think I’ll be able to breathe in five minutes. Please, I’m asking you. Don’t hold a funeral and throw away my diary and everything I wrote.” She left behind words that resembled a final message, which deeply saddened those around her.

The funerals of all seven victims of the Bucheon hotel fire, including Ms. Kim, are expected to be completed by the 26th.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.