Funeral held for two firefighters killed in Wando fire

A funeral service was held Tuesday morning for two firefighters who died while battling a blaze at a seafood cold storage facility in Wando, South Jeolla Province.

The ceremony honored the late Senior Fire Lt. Park Seung-won and Fire Sgt. Noh Tae-young, who were killed while responding to the fire at the facility in Gunoe-myeon on Sunday. The government posthumously recognized their deaths as line-of-duty casualties and granted both firefighters one-rank promotions.

Park, 42, began his service as a rescue worker in 2007 and spent nearly 19 years on the front lines. Noh, 29, was a third-year firefighter appointed in 2022 and had been preparing to get married in October.

Their remains will be laid to rest at the Daejeon National Cemetery.

Meanwhile, police investigating the cause of the fire have sought an arrest warrant for a Chinese national suspected of starting the blaze. The suspect is accused of accidentally igniting the fire while using a torch to remove floor paint. Police are also investigating a contractor who allegedly instructed him to carry out the work.