The fire primarily spread up the combustible cladding in a U-shaped indentation in the building's exterior, reaching the top of the building within 20 minutes
Firefighters at the scene
A helicopter was used as part of the firefighting efforts
Aftermath

The Wooshin Golden Suites Fire was a fire that occurred at an officetel in Marine City, Haeundae, Busan, South Korea on October 1, 2010. The fire started on the fourth floor, caused by a spark from an electrical outlet, and rapidly spread to the top of the building via external combustible cladding; five injuries were reported.[1][2]

Fire

  • The fire started around 11:34am on the 4th floor.[3][4]
  • A fire engine with a 52-metre ladder was launched, but firefighters could not control the fire because it spread so quickly.
  • Within 20 minutes, the blaze had reached the 38th floor.[2]
  • According to the Korea Times, the blaze was extinguished after 2.5 hours, after mobilising dozens of fire engines and a helicopter that dropped water on the building from above.[4] According to Nathan White and Michael Delichatsios, writing in Fire Hazards of Exterior Wall Assemblies Containing Combustible Components, the original 4th-floor fire was put out by 1 pm, with the entire building fire-free by 6.48 pm.[2]
  • Some residents were evacuated by helicopter from the building's roof.[2]

Causes and background

  • There was no sprinkler in the 4th-floor room where the fire started.[2]
  • The reinforced glass in the windows hindered firefighters.
  • The building featured flammable aluminium composite cladding with a polyethylene core, along with glass wool or polystyrene insulation; the fire rapidly spread up the facade, reaching the top of the tower within 20 minutes.[5][2]
  • The fire primarily spread up a vertical U-shaped indentation in the building's exterior, which created a chimney effect, possibly enhanced by wind blowing in from the sea.[2]

Casualties

  • 4 residents and 1 fire fighter were injured.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "부산 해운대구 대형화재가 남긴 숙제는?] 아시아경제". 2010-10-02.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nathan White; Michael Delichatsios (20 July 2015). Fire Hazards of Exterior Wall Assemblies Containing Combustible Components. Springer. pp. 37–39. ISBN 978-1-4939-2898-9.
  3. ↑ "마린시티 내 황금빛 고급 주거 시설". 2 October 2010.
  4. 1 2 "Fire guts high-rise building in Busan". The Korea Times. 1 October 2010.
  5. ↑ "High-rise apartments defenseless against fire". The Korea Times. 3 October 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2017.

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