After flames engulfed multiple floors of a high-rise apartment building, dozens of people were taken to hospitals in the city of Ulsan in South Korea, late Thursday.
The 33-story apartment complex started to light up with the destructive blaze at around 11 in the evening. It continued to ravage the tower through the morning of the following day. Footage of the fire spread in social media, alongside photos of the blaze's aftermath.
According to CNN, at the moment, there have been no reported deaths connected to the incident. However, the Ulsan Fire Department has stated that at least 91 people have already been brought to hospitals after sustaining minor injuries, including abrasions and smoke inhalations.
Moreover, South Korea's Ministry of Interior and Safety stated that 77 people had been rescued from the burning building. At the same time, another 82 individuals were temporarily evacuated to a nearby hotel for the time being.
The city of Ulsan is situated on the southeast coast of the country and is just near Busan.
Based on reports, the first emergency call came from a resident on the building's 12th floor; however, the fire's cause remains unclear. The Ministry also stated that the blaze has appeared to spread through the outer wall of the building, eating up the structure from the lower floors to the top.
Ulsan FD's was praised by authorities and said it was most likely why there weren't significant casualties in the fire. Reports stated that the firefighters arrived at the scene only five minutes after receiving the first call.
A BBC report stated that the fire department deployed more than 1,000 personnel at the scene, including 75 emergency responders and 930 firefighters.
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Meanwhile, a report from South Korea's government-funded news agency, Yonhap, stated that embers kept on flaring up even hours after the response as they were fanned by strong winds, which start up the fires again.
Until Friday morning, the blazes were not entirely under control. Fire on the west side of the building's top three floors continues to burn, as around 200 firefighters are now being deployed to take shifts in floor-by-floor search and rescue operations in the building.
On the other hand, Chung Sye-Kyun, Prime Minister of South Korea, expressed his gratitude to the emergency responders and firefighter in Ulsan. Through a Facebook post, the Prime Minister also sympathized with those who have been affected.
1.화재진압을 위해 최선을 다한 울산시와
소방관계자 여러분의 노고에 감사드립니다. 2.방심하지 말고 마지막까지 불씨의 완전한 진압과
혹여 있을지 모를 피해자 구조와 안전에 만전을 기해주십시오. 3.관련부처는... Posted by 정세균 on Thursday, October 8, 2020
Moreover, he also encouraged South Korean government ministries and fire prevention authorities to seek better fire preparedness plans and seek better fire prevention measures to avoid a relapse of the incident.
According to The New York Times, for decades now, South Korea has been plagued by huge fires that can be linked back to lax safety standards. The most recent fire only happened in April, when an enormous warehouse was situated in Icheon caught fire, killing 38 people. Aside from this, in 2018, a hospital fire also took the lives of 37 individuals as it ravaged the building.
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