South Korean Building Fire Kills Dozens
- 6 years ago
South Korean Building Fire Kills Dozens
21, 2017
DEC. 21, 2017
A fire that spread through an eight-story building in the South Korean city of
Jecheon left at least 29 people dead on Thursday, according to fire officials.
A vehicle in the first-floor parking garage seemed to be the source of the blaze, the state-run news outlet Yonhap reported, citing
local fire officials; the fire then appears to have spread through the building that housed a gym, restaurant and public sauna.
The prime minister’s office also tweeted that the local fire
and police chiefs had been "working with necessary authorities to mobilize the proper equipment and manpower to rapidly fight the fire to save as many lives as possible." Justin Baek and Sooji Kim contributed reporting.
The blaze had been put out by Thursday night, but the death toll could rise, as the authorities
were still inspecting the building in the early hours of Friday morning.
The majority of those killed had become trapped in a public sauna on the second floor of the building, local news outlets reported.
President Moon Jae-in of South Korea released a statement offering condolences to the families of those killed in the blaze
and vowed that the victims would be promptly identified.
21, 2017
DEC. 21, 2017
A fire that spread through an eight-story building in the South Korean city of
Jecheon left at least 29 people dead on Thursday, according to fire officials.
A vehicle in the first-floor parking garage seemed to be the source of the blaze, the state-run news outlet Yonhap reported, citing
local fire officials; the fire then appears to have spread through the building that housed a gym, restaurant and public sauna.
The prime minister’s office also tweeted that the local fire
and police chiefs had been "working with necessary authorities to mobilize the proper equipment and manpower to rapidly fight the fire to save as many lives as possible." Justin Baek and Sooji Kim contributed reporting.
The blaze had been put out by Thursday night, but the death toll could rise, as the authorities
were still inspecting the building in the early hours of Friday morning.
The majority of those killed had become trapped in a public sauna on the second floor of the building, local news outlets reported.
President Moon Jae-in of South Korea released a statement offering condolences to the families of those killed in the blaze
and vowed that the victims would be promptly identified.