A fire at Gimhae International Airport involving an Air Busan aircraft carrying 176 people was extinguished without major casualties, with help from Air Force personnel.
According to the Air Force on the 29th, at 10:26 PM on the 28th, just one day before Lunar New Year, Sergeant Cha Seungyeon, who was on emergency standby duty at Gimhae Airport, received the fire report.
Immediately, 13 personnel, including Sergeant Cha, were dispatched to the scene. Five minutes later, an additional 12 personnel were sent with two chemical fire trucks.
The Air Force firefighting unit worked with the Korea Airports Corporation fire department to extinguish the fire.
After putting out the major flames, Rescue Chief Moon Sungho confirmed that there were still small fires inside the cabin. He was the first firefighter to enter the aircraft to make sure all the fire has been extinguished. He said, “In my 27 years of military service, I have handled many building fires, but this was my first real aircraft fire. Fortunately, my body instinctively followed the training we regularly conducted, so I was able to complete the mission without panic.” He added, “I’m relieved that the accident was prevented without major injuries, and I feel a great sense of duty as a soldier. I hope all service members working during the holiday continue to stay strong so that the public can rest peacefully.”
The fire broke out at 10:15 PM on the 28th on Air Busan flight BX391, which was preparing for takeoff at Gimhae Airport. It was fully extinguished in 1 hour and 16 minutes, by 11:31 PM. During the evacuation, seven people, including three passengers and four crew members, sustained minor injuries such as bruises.
Gimhae International Airport has since completed on-site cleanup and resumed normal operations in the next morning.
