'I miss you, Dad': Firefighter killed in blaze leaves behind 6-year-old daughter
A portrait of firefighter Kim Jin-seok, who died battling a factory blaze in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, sits on an altar decorated with flowers at a memorial in Sejong Central Park in Sejong, Saturday. Yonhap
A six-year-old daughter’s letter to her father, a firefighter killed while battling a factory blaze in Bucheon on Friday, has offered a glimpse into the grief of the family he has left behind.
“You passed away yesterday, but I miss you so much,” the daughter wrote in a letter, shared on social media Sunday by Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. “And I know you loved me the most.”
Beside the text was a drawing of a fire engine.
“Dad, I miss you. Let’s make sure we meet again someday. I’ll probably be grown up by then. I love you, Dad. I miss you,” she added.
The firefighter, Kim Jin-seok, was nearing the end of a 24-hour shift and due to finish at 9 a.m. Friday when an emergency call came in at 8:38 a.m. Kim immediately boarded a fire engine and was among the first responders to arrive.
Kim and three colleagues entered the factory’s third floor, where rapidly spreading flames trapped him and another firefighter.
His colleague was later rescued, but Kim was found about five meters farther inside, already in cardiac arrest. He was later pronounced dead. He was 44.
This photo shows a handwritten letter and drawings of fire engines by the six-year-old daughter of firefighter Kim Jin-seok. Courtesy of Rep. Song Young-gil’s Facebook
Married for eight years, Kim had planned to move into a new place with his family ahead of his daughter starting elementary school next year.
The fire at a metal-processing and printing factory killed Kim and seriously injured another firefighter. It was extinguished after two hours and 28 minutes, according to fire authorities. Four other firefighters received treatment for heat exhaustion, while two factory employees were treated for smoke inhalation.
The government posthumously promoted Kim by one rank and awarded him the Order of Service Merit, Aquamarine Stripes. It also plans to support his burial at a national cemetery.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said it had formed a 33-member investigation team to determine the fire’s cause. Investigators are examining an industrial solvent washer in the cleaning room on the third floor of the factory, where the blaze is believed to have started. They are also investigating why flames and smoke spread so rapidly that two firefighters became trapped.