Fire at Changnyeong Waste Paper Recycling Plant Finally Extinguished ... Contained After Three Days

At the site of a fire at a waste paper recycling factory in Changnyeong County, Gyeongnam, a firefighter sprays water onto a pile of waste paper lifted by heavy machinery.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters]

The fire that broke out at a waste paper recycling plant in Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang Province, was completely extinguished after three days.

According to the South Gyeongsang Fire Department on the 27th, a fire started at around 12:24 p.m. on the 25th in the outdoor storage yard of a waste paper recycling plant in Daehap-myeon, Changnyeong County.

After receiving a report from a plant official, the fire authorities were dispatched to the scene, but the fire spread through the waste paper, making firefighting efforts difficult.

The firefighting operation continued into the next day, with fire trucks, waste disposal vehicles, and heavy equipment such as excavators mobilized.

The main fire was brought under control at around 7:39 p.m. on the 26th, but smoldering embers hidden among the piles of waste paper in the yard were not easily extinguished.

After repeated efforts by firefighters to spray water on the piles of waste paper lifted by heavy equipment, the fire was finally extinguished at 7:16 p.m. on the third day, the 27th.

At the scene of a fire at a paper recycling factory in Changnyeong, Gyeongnam, a firefighter is spraying water on the flames attached to a pile of paper.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters]

Previously, Fire Response Level 1, which mobilizes all equipment and personnel from the local fire station, was issued at 3:23 p.m. on the day of the fire and lifted at 8:41 a.m. the following day.

Over the three days, a total of 138 personnel, including firefighters, and 55 pieces of equipment such as helicopters, fire engines, water tankers, and excavators were deployed at the scene.

No casualties have been reported so far, and the police and fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.