Police officer carries elderly woman on back from 13th floor in fire

The story of a police officer that carried an elderly woman in her 80s who limited mobility on his back from the 13th floor to the 1st floor amid a fire.

According to the Busan Police Agency, officer Kim Dong-hee (age 37) of the North Busan Police Agency arrived at the fire site after receiving a report that a fire occurred on the top floor of a multipurpose building in Buk-gu at 4:39 a.m. on April 15. Kim knocked on every door to wake up and evacuate the residents as the elevator had gone out of order.

“An elderly woman lives next door alone, and I don’t think she would have escaped because she can’t walk very well,” said a resident on the 13th floor. Kim immediately went to the house, rang the bell, and knocked on the door. A, who relied on a walking frame (age 87), opened the door, limping as she walked.

Kim beckoned to A to get on his back. As soon as she got on his back, Kim climbed down the stairs, which was full of smoke. Kim heaved a sigh of relief only after he reached the first floor. “My only focus at that time was to get her out of this place safely as the fire could spread anytime,” said Kim in a telephone call with your reporter.

A had little mobility after undergoing a hip operation last year. A asked her care worker to post a special thank you message on the online board of the police agency on May 3. “I feel shy about being praised for doing what I should have done,” said Kim. "I will do my best to work harder on my job to help people in need."


smkang@donga.com