The aluminum composite panel for the exterior of the building has been pointed out as the cause of the rapid spread of the fire at a gynecology clinic in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.
According to the Chungbuk Fire Department on the 29th, a fire broke out in the basement parking lot on the first floor of an obstetrics and gynecology department in Sachang-dong, Seowon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, around 10:09 am that day.
The fire quickly climbed the outer wall and spread to the top, devouring the obstetrics and gynecology new building (10th floor), the old building (7th floor), the main building (5th floor), and a nearby motel.
As a result of the fire, 122 people inside the obstetrics and gynecology department (70 hospital staff, 23 mothers, 23 babies, 6 general patients) evacuated by themselves or with the help of 119 rescue teams, but 4 mothers and 4 newborns inhaled smoke in the process. was transported to the hospital.
The two mothers showed symptoms of bleeding and were transferred to a nearby obstetrics and gynecology hospital and a university hospital, respectively.
According to Cheongju City, the building, which was approved for construction in July 2017, was confirmed to be built with aluminum composite panels.
The fire hazard of aluminum composite panels was pointed out in the Ulsan mixed-use apartment fire in October 2020.
The fire that started on the 12th floor of Samhwan Art Nouveau in Dal-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan at 11:07 pm on October 8, 2020 was barely extinguished in 15 hours and 40 minutes.
At that time, the fire that climbed up the outer wall spread to the extent that it enveloped the entire 33-story building.
At the Ulsan city government inspection held after the fire, it was pointed out that “the apartment exterior material is made of combustible aluminum composite panel, so it spread into a large fire.”
Aluminum composite panels are vulnerable to fire depending on the type of adhesive that attaches the filler inserted between the plates.
For the sake of aesthetics, if the aluminum plate is colored with a chemical product and catches fire in one place, it is highly likely to spread to the entire exterior wall of the building.
The fire department, who briefed at the site of the OB/GYN fire that day, believed that the exterior wall material acted as a ‘fire-starter’ and questioned the dry-bit method.
The fire department, which has now completed the firefighting work, plans to investigate what kind of material is inside the panel to determine the exact cause of the fire.
The police are also investigating the exact cause of the fire by securing an internal closed circuit (CC) TV.
[청주=뉴시스]
