4 firefighters killed in the line of duty this year; 28 died in hazardous operations over 7 years

A firefighter seriously injured while serving on the first-response team dispatched to a factory fire in Bucheon has died, bringing the number of firefighters killed at fire scenes this year to four.

According to the National Fire Agency, firefighter A was injured while fighting a blaze that broke out Friday morning at a metal injection printing factory in Naedong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. He died at around 12:55 a.m. Saturday.

The deceased had been deployed as part of the first-response team to the third floor of the building where the fire was reported and became trapped when flames suddenly surged. He was rescued in cardiac arrest and transported to a nearby hospital, but died despite treatment.

Including the deceased, four firefighters have been killed at fire scenes this year. The late Fire Lieutenant Seong Chi-in was seriously injured while fighting a fire at a vehicle inspection center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Nov. 24 last year. After more than three months of hospital treatment, he died on March 3 without recovering.

On April 12, Fire Lieutenant Park Seung-won and Fire Sergeant Noh Tae-young were killed after entering a freezer warehouse during a fire at a seafood processing factory in Wando-gun, South Jeolla Province.

According to the National Fire Agency, a total of 28 firefighters were approved as having died in the line of duty while performing hazardous operations — including firefighting and rescue — over the roughly seven years from October 2018 through December last year. The annual breakdown is as follows: six in 2018, three in 2019, eight in 2020, four in 2021, three in 2022, one in 2023, and three in 2024. No firefighters were approved as hazardous-duty fatalities last year.

By type of duty, firefighters killed while suppressing fires accounted for the largest share at 12. Rescue operations followed with nine deaths, general safety services with four, and other duties with three.

During the same period, 78 firefighters were recognized as general line-of-duty deaths — cases where a firefighter died while performing official duties but the direct cause was not hazardous work such as firefighting or rescue.

By cause of death, malignant tumors were the leading cause at 28. Suicide followed with 21 deaths and cardiovascular disease with 12. Other causes included other illnesses at six, cerebrovascular disease at five, other accidents at four, and infectious diseases at two.

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