A fire at a luxury hotel construction site in Busan, South Korea, claimed the lives of six people and injured 27 others on Friday morning, February 14, 2025. The fire started around 10:51 AM at the Banyan Tree Haeundae resort construction site in Gijang County, leading to an extensive emergency response.

Busan Gijang District Fire Department Chief Hong Moon-sik informed that about 100 workers successfully evacuated the site, while 14 others were airlifted from the top of the building by helicopter.

The fire started in insulation material kept near an indoor swimming pool on the first floor of one of the three buildings under construction. It rapidly spread throughout the complex, which consisted of three buildings, each with 12 stories above and three below ground.

Fire Chief Hong Moon-sik said, “the high number of casualties was due to the fire having already spread widely and black smoke filling the interior by the time firefighters arrived.”

The Busan Fire Headquarters raised the emergency to a level two response, deploying 124 fire trucks and 352 firefighters to tackle the fire. Three fire helicopters were used in the rescue operation, successfully evacuating the 14 people who had sought refuge on the rooftop.

Emergency responders reached the scene within nine minutes of the initial report. Six people were discovered unconscious on the first floor near the fire’s start point and were later declared dead at local hospitals. Autopsies confirmed that they died of carbon monoxide poisoning. “At least 25 other people sustained minor injuries,” reported Hong Moon-Sik on the day of the fire.

Local officials in Gijang-gun, Busan, issued an emergency safety notification to nearby residents, advising them to take alternate routes and those inside the building to evacuate immediately.

The luxury hotel project, managed by Singapore-based Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, was nearing completion and was set to open later this year. The resort was planned to feature 195 guest rooms, including 175 in the main tower and 20 in the villa section, as well as amenities like private pools. The hotel management company stated that they support the hotel developer.

Banyan Tree Holdings, the resort’s management organization, is an international firm that oversees 48 hotels and resorts and 64 hot springs in 22 countries, including Phuket, Thailand.

Choi Sang-mok, South Korea’s Acting President, ordered the use of all available resources to extinguish the fire. The Minister of Employment and Labor has called for a comprehensive investigation into possible violations of industrial safety laws.

The Busan city government established a disaster and safety countermeasures headquarters to provide financial support and medical assistance for the victims’ families. Local authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire.

In recent years, South Korea has witnessed several significant fires, particularly in industrial facilities and forested areas.

On June 24, 2024, a devastating fire broke out at a lithium battery manufacturing plant owned by Aricell in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The incident led to 23 fatalities, primarily among Chinese migrant workers, and left eight others injured. Investigations revealed that the company had increased production to meet deadlines without addressing known quality issues, resulting in the disaster. Subsequently, in August 2024, both the CEO of Aricell, Park Soon-kwan, and his son were arrested on charges of violating industrial safety laws.

In March 2022, a large forest fire started in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province, threatening critical infrastructure, including a liquefied natural gas plant and the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant. The fire burnt over 20,923 acres of land and required the evacuation of nearly 4,000 residents. It wasn’t until April 15, 2022, that the fire was fully extinguished, with efforts involving both South Korean and U.S. military support.

In April 2023, strong winds sparked a wildfire in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung. The fire led to the evacuation of over 500 residents and destroyed various homes. Fortunately, rainfall later that day aided firefighters in containing the blaze.