Electric Vehicle Fire Leaves 820 Displaced in Incheon Apartment... "Rehousing Takes 2 Weeks"

Resumption of Tap Water Supply, Some Neighborhoods Face Interruption Again
Residents in 10 Temporary Housing Facilities Living in Tents and Dormitories

The number of evacuees staying at temporary shelters due to the electric vehicle fire in Incheon has increased to over 800.

According to Seo-gu, Incheon City, as of 10 a.m. on the 6th, 822 people from 264 households are staying in temporary housing facilities out of 1,581 apartment units affected by the fire in Cheongna International City. This is double the 421 people recorded on the 5th.

The evacuees are living in tents or dormitories set up at 10 temporary housing facilities, including the Cheongna 1-dong Administrative Welfare Center and Hana Bank Training Center. The apartment management office has hired an external company to repair the water pipes that melted during the fire.

On the afternoon of the 5th, residents of the apartment in Cheongna-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, where an electric vehicle fire occurred, are receiving water from a water truck amid the heatwave.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Although temporary repairs were completed and water supply to each household resumed the previous day, some pipes have developed problems again, causing a water outage in one building. Additionally, electricity was cut off in 477 units across four buildings, three of which are currently undergoing reinspection following requests for improvements from the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation.

A Seo-gu, Incheon City official stated, "We are temporarily addressing the water pipes, but it may take several more months to fully repair and restore them. We expect it will take up to two weeks from the resumption of electricity and water supply and completion of interior cleaning before residents can move back in."

Earlier, on the morning of the 1st, a fire broke out in a Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle parked in the underground first-floor parking lot of an apartment in Cheongna International City, Seo-gu, Incheon. The fire caused 23 residents and others to inhale smoke and be transported to hospitals. About 140 vehicles were burned or scorched. The flames caused the temperature inside the parking lot to rise above 1,000 degrees Celsius, melting underground facilities and pipes, which cut off water and electricity supply.

Temporary housing facility set up at an elementary school [Image source=Yonhap News]