TRUE HEROES BEHIND DEADLY FIRES

[Anchor Lead]

A fire that engulfed a 33-story building in Ulsan on October 8th took firefighters 16 hours to put out. But, miraculously, no one was killed or seriously injured thanks to the unsung heroes who risked their own lives to save others.

[Pkg]

Ferocious flames and thick smoke engulf a high-rise in the middle of the night, Lee Seung-jin, a vet living on the 33rd floor, fumbled up the stairs to the roof to escape the fire. When he reached the staircase, he found dozens of frightened residents stranded. He quickly went up to the roof to secure a safe space and persuaded the residents to evacuate there.

[Soundbite] LEE SEUNG-JIN(RESIDENT) : "It was my duty to help the frightened residents with whatever knowledge I had about rescue."

Twenty-two confused residents, who followed his lead, were able to escape the burning building later with the help of firefighters. He even offered to shelter and treat his neighbors' pets. Koo Chang-sik and his family living on the 28th floor helped 18 people by catching a baby and spreading a blanket on the terrace. Firefighters searched the entire building and carried some residents to safety. They climbed up and down the high-rise dozens of times fighting the flames, carrying heavy equipment on their backs. They nearly ran out of breath, but were determined to save people, even sharing their respirators.

[Soundbite] SHIN JAE-HUN (ULSAN BUKBU FIRE STATION): I found a child on the 30th floor and ran out quickly after putting the respirator on the child.

One firefighter ran down 22 floors in two minutes with a baby in his arms.

[Soundbite] KIM GEUN-HWAN(ULSAN NAMBU FIRE STATION) : "I thought of nothing else but to carry the baby outside. I was able to save the baby, thanks to other residents' help and evacuation efforts."

The miracle of no serious casualties in such a devastating fire is thanks to the courage and dedication of these unsung heroes.