A controversy over inadequate search procedures has emerged after a body was discovered at a fire scene that police and fire authorities had previously cleared, stating there were no casualties.
According to police and fire authorities on Wednesday, a fire broke out at a vinyl greenhouse used as a weekend farm in Daeya-dong, Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, at approximately 10:05 p.m. on June 27.
The dispatched fire crews fully extinguished the blaze around 10:49 p.m., about 40 minutes after arrival, and concluded that there were no casualties after conducting three separate searches of the scene.
Subsequently, a police forensic team entered the site and completed evidence collection to determine the cause of the fire before withdrawing after an hour. Detectives who visited the scene the following day also failed to identify any casualties.
However, the body of a man in his 60s, identified as A, who managed the farm and lived in a residential container inside the greenhouse, was at the scene.
The body was discovered after A's daughter filed a missing person report at approximately 2:20 p.m. on June 28, the day after the fire.
Police tracked the signal from A's mobile phone and re-searched the site, finding the body inside the container at approximately 4:20 p.m.
This was about 17 hours after the fire department had extinguished the blaze and declared there were no casualties.
Police believe that because the fire occurred late at night, A was likely sleeping or resting in the container and was unable to evacuate, ultimately dying from toxic gas inhalation.
An autopsy by the National Forensic Service confirmed the cause of death as fire-related, and no evidence of foul play or criminal activity was found.
Criticism regarding a poor response has been raised, as the body was not found despite three searches by the fire department, a precise forensic examination by the police, and a follow-up visit the next day at the approximately 290-square-meter site.
However, it was reported that the fire occurred late at night and the body was severely burned, making identification difficult.
A police official stated, "The body was so severely damaged that DNA testing was required for identification after it was found."
The Siheung Fire Station's audit and human rights officer is currently investigating whether there were any procedural violations during the search process.
Police and fire authorities believe the fire was caused by electrical factors and are investigating the exact circumstances.
(Photo: Provided by Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters, Yonhap News)