A fire at a chemical manufacturing company in Ulsan's Ulju County has spread to seven outdoor storage tanks containing flammable liquids, complicating firefighting efforts. So far, no injuries have been reported, and thousands of workers from the company and nearby construction sites have evacuated.
According to Yonhap News, the fire broke out at 9:41 a.m. at a chemical manufacturing facility in Onsan-eup, Ulsan. The blaze reportedly started while workers were transferring toluene, a flammable substance, from storage tanks into 200-liter drums for shipment. The exact cause of the ignition is still under investigation.
The flames spread to drums stacked in a nearby yard, which also contained toluene. Strong winds further fueled the fire, causing it to reach seven outdoor storage tanks containing toluene, thinner, acetone, ethanol, and xylene.
All these substances fall under Class 4 hazardous materials, specifically classified as flammable liquids, with a flash point below 21 degrees Celsius.
Fire authorities are deploying helicopters to combat the blaze, but the fire remains difficult to control. They plan to focus on preventing the fire from spreading while the materials inside the tanks burn.
A large-scale water cannon system capable of discharging 45,000 liters of water per minute is reportedly unable to be activated immediately due to a lack of nearby water sources.
Following the outbreak of the fire, authorities issued a Level 1 response at 10:04 a.m. and declared a national firefighting mobilization order at 10:17 a.m., deploying personnel and equipment to the scene.
As of now, no injuries have been reported. Sixteen workers from the company and approximately 7,000 construction workers nearby have evacuated. Fire authorities are concentrating on extinguishing the fire and preventing further combustion.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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