By Kim Tae-jong
Two firemen were killed Saturday during an operation to battle a blaze in a warehouse in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, according to the fire authorities.
They are 40-year-old Lee Jae-man and 32-year-old Han Sang-yun from Songtan Fire Station.
Lee and Han arrived at the scene along with three other firemen after a major fire broke out at the furniture warehouse at around 9 a.m. on Saturday.
They immediately began firefighting and rescue operations. Shortly after they entered the building, they were told to pull out due to intense toxic gas and heat.
While the rest made it safely, two failed to escape the building because parts of the roof and structure collapsed on them, witnesses said.
Upon the news of their death, the whole nation mourned with thousands of citizens coming to the funeral hall to pay their respects. Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik also paid a visit Sunday and met with the bereaved and offered his condolences.
“They died while doing a good thing,” Kim said to the mourners. “Don’t be discouraged and be strong.”
On Saturday, Rep. Won Yu-chul, chairman of the National Defense Committee, Kim Moon-su, the governor of Gyeonggi Province and Kim Sun-gi, mayor of Pyeongtaek City, also visited the funeral hall.
The Internet and SNS such as Twitter were flooded with messages from people expressing their condolences.
“I hope they can rest in peace, and I also hope other firemen can work without worries in the face of such horrible incidents,” a Twitter user with ID @kim—**** said.
Some other people also launched a campaign to raise a scholarship fund for the children of the deceased firemen on the Internet.
Funeral services will be held today at the fire station with the participation of family members of the deceased, their colleagues and government officials.
Lee, who worked as a fireman since October, 1996, is survived by his wife and two children. His brother also works as a fireman in Hawseong Fire Station.
Han was appointed as a fireman in November, 2004, and is survived by his wife and two children.
The fire was extinguished at around 10:00 a.m., with the assistance of 150 firemen from six nearby fire stations. The fire burned down the two-story building and caused damage worth about 80 million won.