Major Fire at Daejeon Tire Shop Extinguished After 4.5 Hours Amid Thick Black Smoke

A large fire that broke out at a tire shop in Daejeon has been completely extinguished after 4 hours and 31 minutes.

The fire started at a tire shop in Galma-dong, Seo-gu, Daejeon, at around 10:2 A.M. today (the 30th) and was fully put out at around 2:33 P.M.

Fire authorities were dispatched after receiving about 150 reports at the time of the fire.

Shortly after, at around 10:20 A.M., 18 minutes after the initial report, they issued Level 1 Response, mobilizing all personnel and equipment from the jurisdiction fire station.

A total of 98 pieces of equipment, including 2 helicopters, and 238 personnel were deployed to suppress the fire and conduct water-pumping operations.

They also assisted with traffic control and resident evacuation.

Because there were many combustible materials such as tires inside the shop, the fire spread rapidly.

In the process, the flames spread to an adjacent 6-story building and part of a house in the rear.

Fire authorities used helicopters for water-pumping operations to prevent the fire from spreading further.

After succeeding in containing the main blaze at around 1:30 P.M., they lifted the response level and cleared out remaining embers inside the building.

The tire shop where the fire occurred was open for business at the time, but the employees noticed the fire and evacuated beforehand.

The Daejeon Fire Headquarters stated that, aside from two people who returned home after inhaling minor smoke, there have been no reported casualties so far.

Choi Young-hoon, head of the 119 Disaster Response Division at the Daejeon Dunsan Fire Station, stated in an on-site briefing held at around 12:00 P.M., "The adjacent building that caught fire along with the tire shop is also a facility that handles auto parts, so there were many combustibles, causing the fire to spread rapidly."

He explained, "Although the fire partially spread to the residential area in the rear, we have confirmed that no casualties have occurred so far."

He added, "There are also no reports received so far of residents who are out of reach or presumed missing."

Due to this fire, the tire shop, which has a total floor area of 565.04 square meters, was completely burned down.

It was also found that a significant portion of the adjacent building, spanning 610.11 square meters, and part of a house were burned.

Police and fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire, the scale of property damage, and whether there are any additional casualties through a joint inspection.

Residents near the fire scene paused their livelihoods, watched the firefighting operations, and repeatedly sighed in relief.

Residents who failed to wear masks quickly passed through the streets, covering their noses and mouths from the thick smoke.

Some residents expressed disappointment with the fire authorities' response, claiming that if initial containment had been handled more quickly, the fire would not have spread so fast.

Cho (57), who operates a car repair shop near the fire scene, said, "Fire engines only started entering after the smoke had been rising for a while."

He added, "Dunsan Fire Station is right in front, close enough to reach within 1 to 2 minutes by car, so it is regrettable that time seemed to be delayed in initial containment."

In response, Choi Young-hoon, head of the 119 Disaster Response Division at the Daejeon Dunsan Fire Station, explained, "We were dispatched immediately upon receiving the first report, issued a Level 1 Response, and deployed all equipment and personnel from the jurisdictional fire station to extinguish the fire and evacuate people."

He also stated, "It appears that smoke spread in an instant because there were many combustible materials."

Daejeon City notified residents of the fire via an emergency text message at 10:29 A.M., urging them to ensure their safety.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.