Firefighter Left Unconscious, 8 Injured in Bucheon Paint Factory Fire

A fire broke out at a paint factory in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, at around 8:40 a.m. today, leaving six firefighters and two factory workers injured. Among them, one firefighter remains unconscious and is being treated at a hospital. Fire authorities believe the fire started in a washing room on the third floor of the four-story building.

Witness Lee Hye-won said, "At first there was only black smoke, but suddenly the fire flared up," adding, "With a loud bang, the fire spread to the building next door."

Fire authorities raised the response level to Stage 2 and brought the fire fully under control in two and a half hours. The two seriously injured firefighters, who were the first dispatched to the scene, entered the building in pairs and were each rescued about five meters from the entrance. Both were wearing protective gear at the time.

Kim Soo-chul, head of fire prevention at the Bucheon Fire Station, explained, "When heat and smoke spread rapidly during a fire, the exit near the entrance can become blocked."

The factory was found to have stored about two tons of flammable materials, including thinner. It was not required to have sprinklers under regulations based on factory floor area, so no sprinklers were installed indoors.

With one injured firefighter still unconscious, fire authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire and whether there were any violations in the storage of hazardous materials.