4 high-ranking fire officials reprimanded over Jecheon fire

The head of a joint investigation team announces Thursday the investigation findings on the cause of a fire that killed 20 people and injured 36 others at a sports center in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, Dec. 21. Yonhap

By Lee Kyung-min

The head of the North Chungcheong Province fire department was dismissed and three high-ranking fire authorities in the region face disciplinary action soon over their inept response measures in the first crucial minutes in a deadly fire in Jecheon, which killed 29 and injured 36 others Dec. 21.

The National Fire Agency said Thursday the four officials were derelict in their duties to make swift, effective decisions in an emergency when dozens of lives were at stake. “Rescue efforts floundered and failed, causing dozens of deaths and injuries to many citizens who died awaiting our help,” an agency official said in a press briefing at Jecheon sports center.

“Those who were responsible for the failure in management and prompt execution of chain of command will face due consequences. We are reviewing what punitive measures to take after further inspecting other issues regarding safety breaches or lax implementation of related requirements.”

A team of investigators including National Fire Agency officials concluded that the four failed to change plans fast enough in response to the situation where putting out the fire should have come after rescuing all victims. Despite knowing that many people were trapped inside on the second floor of the building following the emergency calls made from the victims, the decision makers stuck to the original plan to use the main stairs after putting out the fire, instead of using the emergency exit or breaking a window to get inside. “Heads of the respective departments were also unaware that the building had a back entrance through which the victims could have escaped,” the official said.

The situation center in the fire department even failed to inform the field firefighters that many people were on the second floor, leading them to devote most of their rescue efforts in searching for victims in the basement. They managed to rescue only a few including one who escaped the building and went up to the third floor.

While the fire agency belatedly rolled out measures to remove all vehicles deemed as interfering with emergency responses a week after the fire, it did little to allay public criticism that the government measures always fall short of staving off what could have been preventable incidents.

Police sought arrest warrants for the building owner and building manager. The two could face charges of professional negligence resulting in death, a conviction which could result in a prison term of up to seven years or 70 million won ($65,000) in fines.