Fire Agency Conducts Emergency Fire Inspection of Large Warehouse-Type Hazardous Material Indoor Storage Facilities

Conducted from the 22nd to the 23rd of next month

The National Fire Agency is pushing for an emergency fire inspection of large-scale indoor hazardous material storage facilities nationwide in connection with the recent fire at a hazardous material storage warehouse in Yanggam-myeon, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province.

On the 21st, the National Fire Agency announced that from the next day until the 23rd of next month, a one-month emergency fire inspection will be conducted targeting 238 large hazardous material indoor storage sites nationwide by forming inspection teams at fire stations across the country.

Large hazardous material indoor storage facilities store large quantities of hazardous and harmful chemical substances, so when a fire occurs, the spread is rapid and extinguishing it is not easy. In particular, as the hazardous materials stored inside combust, the fire rapidly grows, and the toxic smoke generated by the fire obstructs visibility and evacuation, raising serious concerns about casualties. It also restricts the activities of firefighters engaged in fire suppression.

Inspection teams at each fire station plan to visit sites and focus on inspecting ▲ the appointment and working status of hazardous material safety managers ▲ compliance with standards for storage and handling of hazardous materials inside indoor storage ▲ appropriateness of internal heating devices and electrical facilities in hazardous material storage facilities ▲ falsification of regular hazardous material inspection records.

In this regard, if any violations are found, strict measures such as criminal charges, fines, and administrative orders will be taken.

Im Won-seop, Director of the Fire Prevention Bureau at the National Fire Agency, urged, "Since fires in indoor storage facilities that store hazardous materials in large logistics warehouse forms can cause enormous damage, thorough safety management by related personnel is necessary."