Older man dies after helping wife escape fire at home in Gyeonggi
Published: 29 Jan. 2026, 16:40
![Firefighters put out a fire at a single-story detached house in Jinwi-myeon, Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Jan. 29. [GYEONGGI-DO FIRE SERVICES]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/29/00776df7-34be-418f-9024-6e257911202e.jpg)
Firefighters put out a fire at a single-story detached house in Jinwi-myeon, Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Jan. 29. [GYEONGGI-DO FIRE SERVICES]
An older man died after helping his wife escape a fire that broke out at their home in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, early on Thursday, police said.
The fire started at a single-story detached house in Jinwi-myeon at around 1:35 a.m., according to the Pyeongtaek Police Precinct. The man died inside the home.
His wife evacuated safely and without any injuries.
Investigators said the fire likely started in the boiler room, which used a wood-fired boiler. The wife was sleeping in the master bedroom, and the man was in another room when he noticed the fire. He went to wake her and helped her leave the house first.
He then collapsed after inhaling smoke and lost consciousness before he could escape, authorities said.
Fire officials deployed more than 20 vehicles, and about 60 firefighters brought the blaze under control by 4:50 a.m.
Police and fire authorities are investigating the cause of the fire and have requested an autopsy to determine the exact cause of the man's death.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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