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Teenager trapped in burning apartment calls for help just minutes before she dies

Published: 27 Feb. 2026, 20:35

KIM MIN-YOUNG
[email protected]

A fire occurred in a unit on the eighth floor of a Eunma Apartments building in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, in the early hours of Feb. 24. [LEE GYU-RIM]

Minutes before she died in a fire at Seoul’s Eunma Apartments, a 16-year-old girl was on the phone with 119, trapped inside the burning home and pleading for help.

The first person to report the fire was the teenager herself, identified only by her surname Kim, according to a transcript of the emergency call obtained Friday by local media outlet Newsis through the office of liberal Democratic Party Rep. Yang Bu-nam.

The blaze broke out at 6:18 a.m. Tuesday on the eighth floor of a building in the Eunma Apartments complex in Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul, killing Kim and injuring at least three others. The teenager’s mother and younger sister were injured, suffering burns and smoke inhalation, and were taken to the hospital.

About 70 residents evacuated on their own, according to fire authorities. Firefighters brought the fire under control at 6:48 a.m. before fully extinguishing it at 7:36 a.m.

Kim called at 6:18 a.m. Tuesday, unable to escape and waiting near a window as smoke filled the home. “There’s a fire right now,” Kim said. Asked for the address, she answered, “Eunma Apartments in Daechi-dong.”

One person died and at least three others were injured after a fire broke out at the Eunma Apartment complex in Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Feb. 24. [YONHAP]

When the operator asked for the building and unit number, she struggled to respond. “Which building is it, what do I do?” Kim said. “What if I die? I can’t breathe, what do I do?”

Asked where the fire started, she said she did not know. “I don’t know,” Kim said. “The fire is just too big. Please come quickly.”

When asked how many people were inside, she said three. “There are three people right now,” Kim said. “I think one or two got out. Please come quickly.”

Surveillance footage disclosed by JTBC shows multiple fire engines and ambulances having difficulty entering the grounds of Eunma Apartments in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, shortly after a fire broke out in the early hours of Feb. 24. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

A separate recording believed to be from a call placed at 6:20 a.m. by a family member captured another desperate plea.

“What about my sister?” the caller said. “Please come quickly.” The audio also included the caller asking someone nearby where the girl had gone and why she was not coming out.

Fire detectors inside the unit were believed not to have activated during the blaze, while the manual fire alarm and the emergency broadcast system were believed to have operated normally, according to a National Fire Agency fire situation report.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]