Gyeonggi Province: Fire-Related Legal Violations Rise Despite Decline in Fire Incidents

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun] While the number of fire incidents last year decreased compared to the previous year, the number of legal violations cracked down on at fire scenes showed an increase.

According to the Gyeonggi Province Fire and Disaster Prevention Headquarters on the 19th, the number of fires in Gyeonggi Province in 2020 totaled 8,920 cases, a 5.3% decrease from 9,421 cases in 2019.

In contrast, fire scene legal violation enforcement cases increased from 335 in 2019 to 380 in 2020, a 13.4% increase (45 cases).

The provincial Fire and Disaster Prevention Headquarters reported that of these, 323 cases (85%) were referred to relevant agencies, 44 cases (11.6%) resulted in fines, and 13 cases (3.4%) were formally charged.

By statute, violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act were the most frequent at 105 cases (27.6%), followed by Waste Management Act violations at 97 cases (25.5%), Building Code violations at 96 cases (25.3%), Fire-Related Statute violations at 58 cases (15.3%), and Forest Protection Act violations at 20 cases (5.3%).

For the Occupational Safety and Health Act, careless welding was the primary violation; for the Waste Management Act, garbage incineration; for Building Codes, unauthorized construction; for Fire-Related Statutes, neglected fire prevention facilities; and for the Forest Protection Act, incineration near forests.

Regarding this increase, the Gyeonggi Province Fire and Disaster Prevention Headquarters explained that it resulted from actively enforcing various legal regulations at fire scenes to prevent fire recurrence after fire suppression efforts.

In fact, in the early morning of September 19 last year at approximately 3:55 a.m., a fire broke out at a resource circulation facility factory in Pyeongtaek, causing two workers to lose their lives and property damage estimated at approximately 1.9 billion won (fire department estimate).

After fire suppression, the factory was found to have illegally altered the structure and facilities of an outdoor hazardous substance tank storage area without authorization. Fire authorities formally charged the company with violations of the Hazardous Materials Safety Management Act.

In a manufacturing facility in Uiwang where a fire broke out on July 18 last year, handling hazardous materials exceeding designated quantities was detected, and illegal expansion of rooftop warehouse facilities was also suspected. The company faced legal action, corrective orders, and notification to relevant agencies.

An official from the Gyeonggi Province Fire and Disaster Prevention Headquarters said, "There is an increasing trend in violations of the Building Code and Waste Management Act. We plan to continue conducting legal violation enforcement at fire scenes to prevent fires, and we will take strict action against violations of fire-related statutes, particularly unauthorized handling of hazardous materials."