▲ Fire scene at the Hyundai Motor battery research building in Uiwang
A fire broke out at the Hyundai Motor battery research building inside the Hyundai Motor Group Uiwang Research Institute in Sam-dong, Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, at 12:48 AM today (July 28), and was extinguished in about three hours.
No casualties were reported as executives and employees evacuated on their own after hearing the evacuation broadcast.
The fire was found to have started in a waste storage room (measuring about 10 square meters) on the first floor of the eight-story building, which has a total floor area of some 33,000 square meters.
Although waste automotive battery parts and other items were stored in this room, the flames did not spread to the outside.
The fire authorities, assessing that there was a risk of the fire spreading to the upper floors of the building, issued a Level 1 response (required when 31 to 50 vehicles are needed). They mobilized 37 pieces of equipment and 111 personnel for firefighting operations, bringing the major flames under control at 3:10 AM.
After determining that there was no further risk of the fire spreading, they lifted the response level at 3:14 AM and completely extinguished the fire at 3:31 AM, about three hours after it started.
Uiwang City sent out two emergency disaster text messages at 2:05 AM and 2:18 AM, notifying residents that "smoke and odors are occurring due to a fire in Sam-dong, Uiwang, so please close your windows and take care to prevent damage."
An official from Hyundai Motor Group explained, "The fire did not spread outside the ignition point, but just in case, we have recommended that employees of the building work from home. The specific scale of the damage will be determined after a fire investigation is conducted."
The police and fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire and the scale of the damage through an on-site inspection.
(Photo: Provided by reader, Yonhap News)
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