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Mother Scales Building to Reach Children in Gwangyang Apartment Fire

City officials have put the family in temporary housing pending financial assistance.

Overview

  • Fire broke out around 5:23 p.m. Monday in a fifth-floor unit in Gwangyang, South Jeolla, trapping three girls under five.
  • A mother in her 40s, blocked by smoke and flames at the door, went to the sixth floor and climbed down the exterior through a balcony to reach her children.
  • She sheltered the children until firefighters arrived, and a ladder truck was used to complete the rescue.
  • Roughly 10 vehicles and 30 personnel responded, and the blaze was reported fully extinguished by about 6:18 p.m.
  • All four were treated for minor smoke inhalation and discharged, and fire authorities emphasized that facade-climbing is extremely dangerous and rarely successful for civilians.