Gyeonggi Fire Department Activates 'On-Site Task Force' to Prevent River Pollution Following Hwaseong Fire

The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters is operating an on-site task force due to concerns that the nearby river may become contaminated following the fire in Hwaseong.

The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters has launched an on-site response team to prevent further contamination of nearby rivers in Hwaseong and Pyeongtaek areas caused by a fire in Hwaseong.

On the 17th, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced that since the 16th, they have been operating a 24-hour on-site response team near the Water Quality Restoration Center in Yanggam-myeon, Hwaseong City, the upstream area of the contaminated river, mobilizing 17 personnel and 5 large fire trucks.

The on-site response team will transport approximately 1,200 tons of uncontaminated upstream river water daily to other locations until the situation is resolved.

A representative from the Fire and Disaster Headquarters stated, "This is to block uncontaminated upstream river water from flowing into the contaminated area as the water level rises in the upstream region," adding, "We will do our best to restore the water quality of the managed rivers in Hwaseong and Pyeongtaek areas."

Earlier, around 10 p.m. on the 9th, a fire broke out at a hazardous materials storage warehouse in Yanggam-myeon, Hwaseong City, and was extinguished around 6 a.m. on the 10th after about 8 hours. Although there were no casualties, Class 4 hazardous materials (flammable liquids) stored inside the warehouse flowed into a nearby small river, contaminating a 7.4 km section of the river from the fire site to just before the confluence with Jinwi Stream, a national river, turning the water a turquoise color.