[Anchor]

Amid the heatwave, air conditioner fires are also occurring one after another.

Overheated outdoor units are being pointed out as the main cause.

To prevent fires, how should we manage them? Reporter Hwang Da-ye has investigated.

[Report]

In the middle of the city, gray smoke is rising, and firefighters are carefully examining the fire scene.

[On-site official/voice altered: "There was an outdoor unit back there. It's an open space, but there is a lot of trash here..."]

The fire authorities suspect that the overheating of the air conditioner outdoor unit is the cause.

With the recurring heatwaves every year, air conditioner fires have increased by 41% over the past three years.

Just this summer, they have already occurred at a rate of two incidents per day.

[Lee Young-joo/Professor of Fire Safety at Kyungil University: "(Because of the heat) the number of operating air conditioners is high, so the number of fires is inevitably increasing. However, if we manage safety measures a bit more actively, we can lower the risk of fires."]

The heat is one issue, but management is also a problem.

There are cases where trash bins block the places where air should escape, or outdoor units are completely flipped and pressed against the wall.

When measuring a dusty outdoor unit with a thermal camera, the temperature rises to nearly 70 degrees.

[Jo Gyu-bok/Service Team Leader at an air conditioning company: "This is where the air should come in, but if you look closely at the back, there is dust inside. If this happens, the air cannot come in 100%. This leads to decreased performance and overheating..."]

To prevent outdoor unit fires, it is essential to ensure good ventilation and, if possible, use dedicated outlets instead of multi-plugs.

Additionally, avoid placing easily flammable objects around the outdoor unit.

This is KBS News, Hwang Da-ye.

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