The fire at a paint warehouse in Nam-gu, Ulsan, broke out in the middle of a residential area on August 3, sending up thick black smoke and rapidly spreading flames to adjacent buildings, resulting in one death and four injuries.

Some residents and merchants evacuated outside or to safe locations, breathing sighs of relief.

The fire scene visited today was filled with such a pungent odor that it was difficult to approach without a mask.

The two-story warehouse building where the fire started completely collapsed, and smoke spewed ceaselessly from between the debris.

Villas on either side of the warehouse, located less than 2 meters away, had smoke billowing out of every broken window, leaving black soot on the walls and exterior materials burned and tattered.

An auto repair shop directly behind the warehouse was damaged to the extent that its sign was crumpled and the skeleton of the two-story building was exposed.

A witness, surnamed Park (38), described the tense situation at the time.

Park, who lives in a building opposite the villa where the fatality occurred, said, "I was startled by popping explosion sounds and went outside to see strong flames shooting out between the warehouse doors," adding, "I saw a man bleeding near the entrance."

Park added, "I used to walk past it without a second thought and had no idea there was a dangerous paint warehouse right next to my house."

A resident surnamed A (30) explained, "I was sleeping when I heard crackling sounds, followed by bang-bang explosion sounds, so I opened the window and saw thick smoke." They added, "I immediately went up to the rooftop to take a look and saw smoke soaring from the paint warehouse."

Resident A's home was separated from the burned warehouse by just one building.

They emphasized, "I evacuated outside quickly packing just my dog and a few simple belongings, and I saw a few residents rushing out desperately from the neighboring villa as well."

Shin (36), who lives near the repair shop, stated, "I went to work, saw the fire news, and rushed back because I was worried about my family," adding, "It is a relief that the fire didn't spread to our building, but the inside of the house was filled with soot, smoke, and odor."

Person B, who runs a convenience store nearby, recounted, "Someone from another store came by and said a fire broke out, so I immediately locked the door, evacuated for a brief moment, and came back."

It is understood that many residents happened to be away from home at the time of the fire today due to work and other reasons.

The fire broke out at a paint company material warehouse in Samsan-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan, at around 8:20 AM today and was completely extinguished after about 4 hours.

The fire grew instantly due to flammable substances presumed to be paint, spreading throughout the entire warehouse building and jumping to four buildings in total, including two villa buildings on either side of the warehouse and an auto repair shop in the back.

As a result, a woman in her 60s living on the third floor of the villa next to the warehouse died, and a man in her 60s who is the owner of the warehouse suffered severe injuries and is receiving treatment at a hospital.

Three villa residents were also injured and returned home after receiving treatment.

(Photo: Yonhap News)