A fire that broke out in a complex of apartments in the city of Sinuiju in North Korea is spreading to neighboring houses, destroying more than 10 units, after residents hesitated to ask for help due to the high costs of sending fire trucks, two sources inside the region said at Radio Free Asia.
Rather than contacting the firefighters, the residents tried to put out the fire themselves after a group of schoolchildren accidentally launched the fire around 1 p.m. on April 27, Sources in RFA said on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
“People hesitated to make the call because they could not afford,” said the first source, a resident of the city of Sinuiju near the border with China. “As the firefighters arrived, the flames had already spread to neighboring units and the roof,” he added.
Although the fire services in North Korea are officially free, chronic fuel shortages, obsolete equipment and sub-financed emergency services led local authorities to require the payment of dispatches, by rejecting the financial burden on citizens.
Local residents of North Korea must cover fuel expenditure for emergency vehicles, including fire trucks, sources said.
They must currently pay 500,000 North Korean won (or around US $ 50) for fuel when a fire truck is shipped – an increase of almost 16 times compared to 30,000 won, they paid last year.
“Most apartments are made up of around thirty households, so it is not easy to raise 500,000 resident winners,” said the first source.
The fire of April 27 which started on the seventh floor of the 12 -storey building spread to the highest floor, the fire trucks only arriving on the scene after 10 of the 120 units were burned, said the sources.
Although no injury or death has been reported, the last incident triggered the indignation among the inhabitants, who say that the system fails to respond quickly to aid when a fire breaks out – unless they can pay the fuel themselves.
“People ask what the fire service is for if it cannot respond without money,” said a second source.
Edited by Tenzin Pema.
