"Garbage Entry Prohibited"... Fire at Waste Disposal Facility in Andong, Gyeongbuk

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Eunha] A fire broke out at the municipal waste treatment facility 'Malgeunnuri Park' located in Andong, Gyeongbuk, causing the suspension of garbage intake from 11 cities and counties in the northern Gyeongbuk area, putting the processing of municipal waste at risk.

At around 10:22 PM on the 3rd, a fire occurred at Malgeunnuri Park in Ho-min-ro, Pungcheon-myeon, Andong City, in the Gyeongbuk Provincial Government New Town, and firefighting efforts have been ongoing for 12 hours.

At the time of the fire, all personnel and equipment from the responsible fire station were mobilized under Response Level 1, but the accumulated waste has made extinguishing efforts difficult. Furthermore, the future processing of the waste generated is also uncertain.

Gyeongbuk has determined that due to this fire, it will be impossible to process incinerated waste and food waste from the 11 cities and counties in the northern area that the facility was responsible for, and notified the suspension of intake starting the morning of the 4th.

An official at the site said, "We cannot yet estimate how long it will take to resume normal operations. We need to inspect the internal facilities after the fire is extinguished to make an assessment."

The fire is known to have started in the waste storage area of the resource recovery facility, which spans from the basement first floor to the fourth floor above ground. Five workers on duty at the time evacuated on their own, but one person sustained bruises during the process and was taken to the hospital.

The fire authorities took measures such as establishing a firebreak because there is an ammonia tank behind the building where the fire broke out, but they believe the risk of explosion is not high.