Large Fire Breaks Out at Ulsan Chemical Plant... 7,000 People Evacuated Nearby

[Anchor]

A large fire broke out at a chemical storage facility in Ulsan yesterday morning (October 14), prompting national firefighting mobilization orders to be issued twice. The flames were brought under control after four hours, and fortunately, no casualties have been reported so far.

UBC reporter Lee Chae-hyun.

[Reporter]

Crimson flames soar fiercely as thick, black smoke covers the sky over the industrial complex.

Shortly after, consecutive explosion sounds echo.

The fire broke out at a chemical plant in Ulju-gun, Ulsan, at around 9:40 AM.

[Witness: I evacuated because I didn't know what was going to happen. We sort of ran away. From 9:40 AM to around 10:00 AM, there were 5 to 6 explosion sounds, and after that, the intervals became a bit longer.]

The fire completely destroyed all seven outdoor tanks at the facility.

Fortunately, no one was injured, but because the site borders the Shaheen Project construction area, about 7,000 workers in the surrounding area were forced to evacuate, causing a commotion.

There was also a high risk of additional explosions as chemical handling companies are densely clustered nearby.

Fire authorities issued Level 1 response and national firefighting mobilization orders twice, bringing the flames under control in about four hours.

This is the fire scene. Because the burning tanks were filled with flammable materials, it took some time to extinguish the fire.

The facility is known to be capable of storing up to 168,000 liters of Class 4 hazardous materials, including thinner, toluene, and acetone.

Fire authorities believe the fire started while toluene was being transferred from the storage facility into drum containers.

Police and fire authorities have secured a statement from a company official saying, "The valves were closed," and plan to conduct a joint inspection to investigate the exact cause.

(Video by: Cho Hyun-woo, UBC)

Lee Chae-hyun, UBC
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.