A firefighter breaks down in tears at the scene of a factory fire in Ojong-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province on Friday, as Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae offers words of comfort. [Newsis]
A firefighter breaks down in tears at the scene of a factory fire in Ojong-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province on Friday, as Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae offers words of comfort. [Newsis]

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae visited the scene of a factory fire in Bucheon on Friday, pledging to do everything possible to ensure the injured firefighters receive proper treatment and make a full recovery.

According to the Gyeonggi Province Fire and Disaster Headquarters, a fire broke out at around 8:38 a.m. Friday at a four-story metal injection and printing factory in Naedong, Ojong-gu, Bucheon. The blaze injured seven people in total — five firefighters and two factory workers.

One firefighter who had responded in the early stages of the fire was taken to hospital in cardiac arrest, while another was left in critical condition.

Fire authorities received a report that the fire had started in a third-floor washing room and issued a Level 1 emergency response 19 minutes after the blaze began. As concerns grew that the fire could spread, they raised the alert to Level 2 at around 9:09 a.m. Class 4 hazardous materials — flammable liquids — were reportedly stored inside the factory.

Firefighters brought the main blaze under control at around 10:22 a.m., one hour and 44 minutes after the fire broke out, and all emergency response levels were lifted.

Choo arrived at the scene at around 11:20 a.m. and expressed sorrow over the firefighters' injuries. "Gyeonggi fire services were on the scene within three minutes and prevented the damage from spreading," she said. "The firefighters made sure the workers inside got out first and stayed behind until the very end — and in doing so, they were unable to evacuate safely themselves."

"I want to offer my deepest comfort to the firefighters for their courage and sacrifice," she added. "We will spare no effort in supporting the injured firefighters' treatment and recovery."

Choo said the fire appeared to have started while workers were handling thinner during a metal-cleaning operation. She added that the facility had been using hazardous materials without proper authorization from fire authorities, and said Gyeonggi Province would work closely with the fire headquarters to immediately step up preemptive inspections and prevention activities targeting businesses that handle dangerous substances.

The visit came amid controversy over Choo's recent remarks in which she likened the fire service budget to a "fiscal straw."

At a National Assembly audit of the Gyeonggi provincial government held Tuesday, Choo referred to the fire service budget as "the biggest headache — like a fiscal straw," drawing sharp backlash from firefighters.

The firefighters' branch of the Korean Government Employees' Union issued a statement calling the remarks "an act of contempt that gravely damages the honor of 70,000 firefighters nationwide," and urged Choo to apologize and take active steps to secure adequate fire service funding.

Gyeonggi Province said Choo's comments were intended to highlight the reality that local governments still bear most of the financial burden for the fire service even after firefighters were transferred to national civil servant status, while the proportion of central government funding has actually declined.


betterj@heraldcorp.com