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Fire Erupts at Banyan Tree Hotel Construction Site in Gijang, Busan, on February 14 |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] The deadly fire at the Banyan Tree Resort construction site in Busan this past February, which claimed the lives of six workers, was caused by welding sparks during pipe cutting and inadequate safety management, according to a police investigation.
On April 7, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency and the Busan Ministry of Employment and Labor held a joint press briefing to announce their interim findings. Authorities revealed that the fire originated from the "PT room" on the first floor of Building B during welding work.
At the time, a subcontracted worker was cutting a 37-centimeter stainless steel pipe with a grinder and preparing to weld a valve-equipped pipe in its place. Sparks from the welding process reportedly entered a hole and fell onto insulation material on pipes in the ceiling of the basement water treatment room. The fire spread rapidly as a result.
Six workers, who had just exited the elevator to the first floor, were overcome by smoke and died from asphyxiation.
On the day of the incident, eight subcontractors were simultaneously conducting hot work in different areas of the site. However, there was no fire watch stationed where the fire broke out, and no protective fire blankets or coverings were used to block the hole, according to police findings.
Fire detection and suppression systems at the site were also found to be severely lacking. Some installed systems malfunctioned, and sprinklers on both the basement and ground floors were either disconnected from the water supply or had shut-off valves engaged, rendering them useless during the blaze.
Han Dong-hoon, head of the Busan Police Agency's Violent Crimes Division, stated, “The tragedy was caused by a combination of malfunctioning fire protection systems and the failure of both the construction company and subcontractors to meet their safety management responsibilities, ultimately resulting in the heartbreaking loss of six workers.”
AlphaBIZ Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
