▲ Flames engulf a hazardous materials storage tank during a fire at a chemical manufacturing plant in Onsan-eup, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, on the 14th.
A major fire broke out at a chemical manufacturing plant in Ulsan, prompting about 7,000 people to evacuate.
At around 9:41 a.m. today (the 14th), a fire broke out while toluene stored in a storage tank was being transferred into 200-liter drum containers at a chemical manufacturing plant in Onsan-eup, Ulju-gun, Ulsan.
The flames quickly spread through drum containers in the surrounding open-air yard to seven outdoor storage tanks containing toluene, thinner, acetone, and other substances.
Worker A from a nearby workplace said, "I saw black smoke soaring out the window from the third floor of the office building, and about a minute later, there was a loud explosion that shook the building." They added, "It was a heavy sound that startled all the employees."
"Even after the initial explosion, loud popping sounds were heard 5 to 6 times at intervals of a few minutes," describing the tense situation at the time, and added, "There was so much smoke that it covered the entire Onsan Industrial Complex, and the sky looked completely pitch black."
At the construction site of the Shaheen Project, which is building large-scale petrochemical facilities nearby, workers startled by the explosion sounds also stopped working and evacuated.
Worker B, who was at the scene, said, "There was a loud popping sound, and it continued to go off intermittently afterward," adding, "The sounds could still be heard 10 and 20 minutes after the fire broke out."
"Everyone felt uneasy when we heard the explosions, and an order to suspend work was issued, so we moved out immediately," explaining, "Work was halted because the smoke was spreading toward the construction site and there was a risk of additional explosions."
Due to the fire, about 7,000 workers at the nearby large-scale petrochemical facility (Shaheen Project) construction site and 16 employees of the company stopped working and evacuated.
Fortunately, no casualties have been confirmed so far.
Following the fire, firefighting authorities issued Level 1 response and subsequently a national firefighting mobilization order, deploying helicopters and other resources to continue firefighting operations.
The city of Ulsan urged, "To supply water for fire suppression, vehicles are completely restricted in areas along Dangwol-ro, Onsan-ro, and Bangdo-ro, so vehicles passing nearby should detour."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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