South Korea: 2 killed, 70 injured in Daegu sauna fire

Two people died and more than 70 were injured in a fire at a sauna in Daegu, Tuesday morning. According to Daegu Fire and Safety Department, the fire started in a sauna on the fourth floor of a seven-story building at around 7 a.m. More than 50 fire trucks with 145 firefighters were mobilized to contain the fire within 20 minutes.
“We are currently investigating the exact cause of the fire, scale of the damage, and identifying the dead based on sources and witnesses,” an official of the fire authority said. Two people ― presumably in their 60s ― were found dead in the men’s bath in the sauna and about 70 others who were in the building also inhaled toxic chemicals from the smoke. The injured people were transferred to Kyungpook National University Hospital and Daegu Fatima Hospital for treatment, including three who sustained serious burns. The fire authorities figure the fire started at the switchboard of the sauna. “A witness said the blaze started at the shoeshine parlor in front of the men’s bath entrance,” the official said. The building has seven floors, and the first and second floors are used as a mall with restaurants and the fifth floor and higher are used as residential apartments.

By Jung Hae-myoung

(Korea Times)