Eleven people were transported to the hospital from the fire scene at the Daejeon Hankook Tire factory. The large flames have not yet been contained, and it is reported that the factory's structure is making it difficult to control the fire.
On the 12th, a fire broke out at the Hankook Tire factory in Daejeon, sending smoke and flames soaring. Fire authorities are currently working to extinguish the fire. However, since the factory is built with a prefabricated panel structure and contains many flammable materials inside, they are having difficulty controlling the flames. Photo by Yonhap News
According to Daejeon city and fire authorities on the 13th, 11 people, including 10 workers and one firefighter, inhaled smoke at the scene of the fire at the Daejeon Hankook Tire factory and were taken to the hospital.
The fire occurred at around 10:09 p.m. the previous day at the Hankook Tire factory in Moksang-dong, Daedeok-gu, Daejeon.
The fire is estimated to have started near the curing process area located in the center of the northern 2nd factory, which is divided north and south into the 1st and 2nd factories.
The flames spread to the logistics building of the 2nd factory and the raw material factory. Tens of thousands of products were stored in the logistics building of the 2nd factory, and it has been confirmed that most of the 2nd factory was completely burned down.
The fire authorities raised the response level to Stage 3 at around 2:10 a.m. on the 13th and are conducting firefighting operations. Stage 3 response allows mobilization of firefighting forces from local government fire headquarters as well as available firefighting personnel and equipment from neighboring areas.
Currently, 103 pieces of equipment and 431 firefighting personnel are deployed at the scene conducting firefighting efforts. The fire authorities have also requested support from a large-capacity water cannon vehicle operated in Ulsan.
However, the fire authorities explained that since the factory is built with prefabricated panel structures and contains many flammable raw materials inside, it is difficult to control the flames.
Moreover, strong winds at the scene are carrying the flames, smoke, and the smell of burning tires to nearby apartment complexes.
About 2,300 apartment households are located near the fire site, and the city and fire authorities have sent disaster safety messages to residents to inform them of the fire situation and recommend evacuation.
The fire authorities plan to investigate the exact scale of the damage and the cause of the fire as soon as the flames are controlled.
Meanwhile, due to the fire at the Daejeon Hankook Tire factory, highway and railway traffic passing through this section were temporarily suspended.
However, as the flames have relatively subsided, the highway was restored to normal operation from 5:20 a.m., and the railway from 6:27 a.m.
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