Hwaseong-si Completes Firefighting Water Management... Opens Previously Closed Drainage Gate

Nearby River Water Pollution Test Results Judged as 'Suitable'

The drainage gate, which had been closed to prevent river pollution, was opened as the firefighting efforts at the Arisel factory fire were completed.

On the morning of the 25th, at the fire site of a primary battery manufacturing factory located in Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province, a joint investigation team consisting of firefighters, the National Forensic Service, the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, and the Korea Gas Safety Corporation was deployed to the scene. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

On the 29th, Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province announced that it had opened the drainage gate connected to the nearby river from late the previous afternoon to prevent river pollution. Earlier, on the day of the fire, the 24th, the city and firefighting authorities closed the drainage gate leading to the nearby river to block the inflow of chemicals and firefighting water generated during the suppression process, and collected the firefighting water in temporary retention tanks.

Since then, 52 tons of firefighting water collected in stormwater drainage pipes and non-point pollution prevention facilities around the site have been sent to a wastewater treatment plant for processing. The Ministry of Environment also handled 1,200 liters of contaminated substances, including leftover waste electrolyte at the fire site, through a specialized disposal company.

The city opened the drainage gate after receiving a satisfactory result from the pollution test of the nearby river water, four days after the fire. However, some fire residues inside the factory premises remain due to the investigative authorities' request to preserve the site.

The city and environmental authorities plan to continuously monitor the air quality and water pollution levels around the site and will take prompt action if any abnormalities are detected.