Property management staff disabled sprinkler before Incheon EV fire

It was confirmed that a property management office employee disabled the sprinkler system just before an electric vehicle (EV) fire broke out in the basement parking lot of an apartment building in Cheongna, Incheon.

On Friday, the Incheon Fire Station Headquarters announced that while inspecting the sprinkler preparation operation valves near the August 1 EV fire site, they discovered that the solenoid valve controlling the sprinkler pipes had not been activated.

According to the on-site investigation, the control room at the property management office received a fire alarm signal around 6:09 a.m. on August 1. However, a staff member at the office pressed the stop button for the sprinkler valve linkage, preventing the sprinkler system from activating despite the fire alarm. The staff member later noticed the fire in the car park and released the stop button around 6:14 a.m. However, by that time, the fire had already damaged the electrical wiring connected to the fire alarm and sprinkler system in the fire zone, preventing signals from reaching the sprinkler system. As a result, the sprinklers ultimately did not activate.


Jun-Ho Cha run-juno@donga.com