A fire caused by an explosion occurred on the 30th at a pharmaceutical company located in Hyangnam-eup, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Eight people sustained serious to moderate injuries, and one person is missing.
[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] A large fire broke out at a pharmaceutical company located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, prompting the fire authorities to issue a response level and begin extinguishing efforts. At 2:22 PM on the 30th, a fire caused by an explosion occurred at Hwail Yakpum in Sangsin-ri, Hyangnam-eup, Hwaseong City.
The fire authorities received dozens of 119 emergency calls reporting "an explosion sound heard at the pharmaceutical factory within the pharmaceutical complex," and deployed 52 pieces of equipment including pump trucks and 94 personnel including firefighters to carry out firefighting operations.
Seeing that the flames were severe, the fire authorities issued Response Level 1, a warning order that mobilizes all personnel from the jurisdictional fire station, at around 2:49 PM. So far, 8 people have been injured by inhaling smoke, and 1 person is missing due to this fire.
Initially, it was reported that a total of 3 workers were trapped inside the building, but during the extinguishing process, contact was made with 2 of them, reducing the number of missing persons to 1.
Other workers safely evacuated without injury.
The building where the fire broke out is a 5-story above-ground and 1-story underground structure with a total floor area of approximately 2,700㎡, and the ignition point is known to be on the 3rd floor.
The fire is presumed to have been caused by an explosion of acetone vapor. Currently, the flames are intense mainly around the 2nd and 3rd floors near the ignition point, and the factory is completely burning down, making it impossible for firefighters to enter.
The fire authorities plan to conduct a search for people as soon as the large flames are brought under control.
Meanwhile, Hwail Yakpum is a mid-sized company listed on KOSDAQ that manufactures and sells pharmaceutical raw materials and finished pharmaceutical products. The Sangsin-ri factory where the fire occurred is reported to have stored large quantities of chemical substances such as toluene and acetone.
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