Investigation under way to find cause of Icheon warehouse fire

Firefighters remove debris from a fire-hit warehouse in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. The fire engulfed the four-story building under construction a day earlier, claiming 38 lives. Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

The Central Fire Service (CFS) launched a joint investigation with the National Forensic Service (NFS) and the police, Thursday, to determine the exact cause of a fire that broke out at a warehouse construction site in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, the previous day that killed at least 38 people and injured 10 others.

The investigation followed an overnight search-and-rescue operation at the four-story building for more victims, most of whom were construction workers, in one of the country's deadliest blazes in years. Eight of the injured people are reportedly in serious condition.

According to the National Fire Agency, the fire engulfed the four-story construction site in Moga Town, Icheon ― where 78 people were working ― at 1:32 p.m. The fire was completely extinguished five hours after it was first reported.

Police have identified 29 victims and sent DNA samples of the remaining nine to the NFS. The results are expected to be available in the next two days, officials said.

According to the police tally of confirmed deaths, one Chinese and two Kazakh workers were among the victims.

The authorities said the fire was presumed to have started on the second basement floor during construction work involving urethane, a combustible chemical used for insulation work, and the installation of a freight elevator. Urethane is widely used in construction as a thermal insulator as well as cushioning material.

So far, police have questioned 28 people, including six officials from the construction company and 11 witnesses. Fifteen key officials from the construction company have been banned from leaving the country. On Thursday afternoon, police officers searched four companies involved in the construction and confiscated documents and computer files.

President Moon Jae-in voiced regret that another massive fire had taken place despite government safety measures put in place following fatal fires in 2017 and 2018. A fire at a sports center in Jecheon killed 29 people and injured 40 others in December 2017, and another occurred in Miryang, killing 45 and injuring 147 only a month later in 2018.

“I offer my deepest condolences to all the families of the victims from the fire and pray for them to rest in peace," Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during a meeting of ministers to discuss the government's response to the disaster.

Chung called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire and whether safety requirements were followed at the construction site.

“More practical solutions are necessary in order to prevent the recurrence of fires at construction sites,” he added.