A forensic team official investigates the area where the fire is believed to have originally started at the construction site of a Banyan Tree hotel in the southeastern city of Busan, Feb. 16. Yonhap
A deadly fire at a hotel construction site in the southeastern port city of Busan earlier this week presumably began in a utility room that manages plumbing equipment, authorities said Sunday.
A joint investigation team composed of police, firefighters and other agencies made the preliminary conclusion after conducting an on-site inspection of the cause of the fire at the Banyan Tree hotel Friday, which killed six workers and injured 27 others.
"The starting point of the fire is presumed to be near the plumbing equipment in the 'plumbing terminal room.' We will draw a final conclusion after reviewing testimonies from workers at the time and their entry times on CCTV," a police official said.
Authorities have secured testimonies that the fire presumably started due to insulating material loaded near a swimming pool on the first floor of one of the three buildings on the site.
Authorities conduct an on-site probe into a fire at a hotel construction site in the southeastern port city of Busan, Feb. 16. Yonhap
Officials said the joint probe is expected to focus on figuring out the reason that the six victims on the first floor died.
The officials were also expected to seek to confirm the possibility the blaze may have been caused after inflammable materials caught fire during welding work.
Autopsies of the deceased are slated for Monday.
Construction for the luxury resort hotel began in April 2022, and its opening was scheduled for the first half of this year.
In the wake of the fire at the hotel construction site in Busan, the labor ministry ordered safety checks at some 1,000 construction sites.
The ministry said it will conduct on-site inspections into such building sites where the last stages of construction involving insulation materials are under way. (Yonhap)
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