On the afternoon of the 19th, a large fire broke out due to an explosion at the S-Oil Ulsan Plant in Onsan Industrial Complex, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, with flames soaring high. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] On the 20th, an emergency suspension order was issued to S-Oil, which caused a fatal accident due to an explosion fire.
The Ulsan Fire Headquarters announced that on the 19th at around 8:51 PM, they issued an emergency suspension order to S-Oil, where the fire occurred, to halt the use of the relevant process until its own safety inspection and safety measures are completed.
This measure was taken in accordance with Article 25 of the Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act, which states that "when it is recognized that there is an urgent need to maintain public safety and prevent disasters, the use of a manufacturing facility may be temporarily suspended or restricted."
The Ulsan Fire Headquarters judged that although the S-Oil explosion fire did not spread to surrounding hazardous material facilities due to the operation of the emergency shut-off valve and the fire department's all-out efforts, the incident caused multiple casualties and created public anxiety, making the act itself unjustifiable.
Accordingly, S-Oil will not be allowed to use the relevant process until the maintenance or replacement of the process where the accident occurred is perfectly completed.
The explosion accident is presumed to have occurred during valve maintenance work in the alkylation extraction process, an additive that raises the octane rating of gasoline.
So far, there has been 1 death and 9 injuries. The fire department plans to conduct a detailed investigation targeting company officials and workers.
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