Bucheon Fire: Firefighter Dies in Line of Duty 20 Minutes Before Off-Duty

[Anchor]

A firefighter who suffered cardiac arrest during a factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, yesterday (October 16) has passed away. It was reported that the firefighter was dispatched to the scene just 20 minutes before his shift ended.

For our leading story on Saturday 8 O'Clock News, reporter Dong Eunyeong has the details.

[Reporter]

The late Fire Inspector Kim Jin-seok, 44, was transported to a hospital in a state of cardiac arrest following yesterday's factory fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Despite fighting for his life in the intensive care unit, Fire Inspector Kim ultimately passed away in the line of duty at 12:55 AM today.

A 13-year veteran firefighter, Kim was about to finish his 24-hour shift and head home at 9:00 AM.

However, at 8:38 AM—about 20 minutes before his shift ended—a report came in regarding a fire at the factory. He arrived at the scene within five minutes and entered the building first as part of a two-person team with a colleague.

The two carried out firefighting operations for about 20 minutes before becoming trapped by intensifying flames and smoke.

When they were rescued 30 minutes later, Fire Inspector Kim was in cardiac arrest, and his colleague had sustained serious injuries, prompting emergency transport.

The bereaved family told SBS reporting teams, "We remember how thrilled Kim was when he was appointed as a firefighter," and burst into tears, adding, "He has a daughter who is scheduled to enter elementary school next year."

Fire authorities announced plans to posthumously promote Fire Inspector Kim by one rank from fire sergeant to fire inspector, and to pursue the awarding of a decoration.

Citizens also visited the joint memorial altar in Sejong City to pay their respects, while fellow firefighters could not hide their grief.

[Ahn Jun-sik / Busan: My heart aches. I hope that with heightened awareness of safety and improved institutional measures, tragedies like this will not happen again.]

President Lee Jae-myung posted on social media, saying, "We will not forget the deceased's sacrifice," and adding, "We will thoroughly inspect safety measures so that frontline personnel can carry out their duties safely."

President Lee later visited the mortuary around 6:00 PM to pay his respects, comfort the bereaved family, and personally bestow the decoration before the portrait.

(Camera Reporter: Lee Jae-young, Lee Chan-soo | Video Editor: Lee So-young | Designer: Cho Su-in)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.