Meat Processing Plant Fire Causes 2 Deaths

Two firefighters who were trapped while responding to a fire at a four-story meat processing factory in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, in South Korea late Wednesday were found dead early Thursday, fire authorities said.

The Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters said that officials retrieved the bodies of the two firefighters in the early morning hours, adding that they were around five to seven meters from each other.

The two firefighters — reportedly a 27-year-old senior fireman and a 35-year-old fireman — along with two coworkers, were searching for remaining victims inside the factory and the source of the fire on the third floor.

They were soon engulfed in flames and cornered due to the rapid spread of the fire. They were unable to evacuate the building through the stairs, officials added.

The fire started in the four-story meat processing factory at 7:47 p.m. the previous day, and the main body of the blaze was brought under control shortly after midnight.

Five workers were reported to have evacuated the building, with one of them sent to a hospital after inhaling smoke.

“(The two) trapped rescuers were deployed to the scene in the same clothes, so their identities can’t be confirmed (yet). ... The two firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty were people who demonstrated great excellence more than anyone else,” said Bae Jong-hyuk, the chief of the Mungyeong Fire Agency.

Around 331 firefighters and 47 fire engines and other equipment were mobilized to combat the blaze.

Fire authorities and police will further look into the cause of the fire and the manner and cause of death.