'Icheon warehouse fire resulted from disregard for safety rules'

Police officials, fire authorities and the National Forensic Service officials inspect the scene of a fire at a warehouse construction site in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, May 6. / Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye

A fire at a warehouse construction site in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, in April was caused by sparks from welding equipment that ignited nearby flammable materials, police said Monday, noting that welding activities there were carried out without proper safety measures.

The fire broke out at the structure, which had four stories and two additional underground levels, on April 29, killing 38 workers and injuring 10 others.

Police unveiled the findings during their announcement of the interim results of the investigation.

Police said they have reached a tentative conclusion that the fire started on the second basement level after sparks from welding activities shot up and ignited the urethane foam that covered the ceiling.

There was a high number of casualties because those in charge of the construction project put in more workers than initially planned in a bid to shorten the construction period, and additionally blocked fire escape routes to prevent condensation within the structure.

Police have carried out forensic examinations of the scene jointly with seven other institutes including the National Forensic Service, Korea Electrical Safety Corp., Korea Gas Safety Corp. and the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Police said workers at the construction site did the welding operation without proper safety measures such as installing a cover that would have prevented the sparks.

Those in charge of the construction also failed to offer proper training on fire prevention and evacuation for staff.

Police requested arrest warrants for nine people in charge of the construction, including three from a builder and three from subcontractors.

“We confirmed that the construction site had not complied with safety regulations such as securing fire escape routes and installing fire extinguishing tools,” a police official said. “We applied for extended detention warrants for nine people as we determined that they were more at fault than others.”

The official added that police will continue their investigation to find out whether those in charge of the construction committed other illegal acts.