Police file arrest warrants for four suspects in fatal hotel blaze in Bucheon

Police said on Tuesday that it filed arrest warrants against four suspects involved in a fatal blaze at a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, which resulted in seven deaths on Aug. 22.

Firefighters inspect a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi on Aug. 22. [YONHAP]

Police said on Tuesday that it filed arrest warrants against four suspects involved in a fatal blaze at a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, which resulted in seven deaths on Aug. 22.

However, they declined to file charges against firefighters for allegedly mishandling a rescue mattress, resulting in two deaths.

The fire that erupted on the eighth floor of a nine-story hotel in Bucheon killed seven — five from smoke inhalation, and two who died during a botched rescue mattress attempt. Another 12 people were injured.

The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency asked a court to issue an arrest warrant for the 66-year-old hotel owner on charges of occupational negligence and violating the Act on the Management of Buildings. It also applied for arrest warrants for the 45-year-old daughter of the owner, a 42-year-old hotel operator and a 36-year-old who managed the property on suspicion of violating the Act on Installation and Management of Firefighting Systems.

Police decided not to press criminal charges against firefighters concerning the deaths of two guests from Room 807 who lost their lives after falling on a corner side of the inflatable rescue mattress. Authorities said that “a seven-degree slope on an entryway to the hotel’s parking space had hindered the first responders' efforts to guarantee the stability” of the mattress.

The owner, who purchased the hotel in May 2017, replaced the air conditioning devices in all guest rooms the following year. Police said the newly installed air conditioners were connected to old outdoor fans without any safety devices, despite legal requirements.

Police said those responsible for hotel management ignored warnings from repair technicians who informed them of possible safety accidents related to electrical cables attached to the air conditioners. It was also found that no wiring work had been undertaken.

Two images show blaze and smoke spread through a corridor of the eighth floor of a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi on Aug. 22. [NATIONAL FIRE AGENCY]

A police official said 15 of the hotel's 63 rooms had poor-quality air conditioning cable connections.

According to an analysis from the National Forensic Service on Sept. 4, the fire ignited from an indoor unit of the air conditioner installed on the wall of Room 810. The analysis also found stains cuprous oxide stains — caused by heat from increased conductor resistance — on a cable connecting an indoor air conditioner unit and an outdoor fan.

Police also found that the manager arbitrarily turned off the fire alarm before checking what had happened. The manager then went to the eighth floor and returned to the ground floor to operate the fire bell. The police believe his actions, which took 2 minutes and 24 seconds, hindered a timely evacuation.

Missing automatic door closers in each room and leaving the fire compartment door wide open with a bundle of water-filled bottles helped the fire and smoke spread quickly through the hotel’s corridor, the police said.

The door of Room 810 was wide open during the blaze.

Police also said poorly equipped rope evacuation devices contributed to the losses. Although the fire law mandates that all guest rooms have such equipment, 31 rooms did not, and devices in nine rooms had ropes shorter than their rooms’ height.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, SON SUNG-BAE [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]