Gwangju City Conducts Safety Inspections to Prevent Fires at Electric Vehicle Charging Facilities in Apartment Complexes

Gwangju City has been conducting safety inspections together with fire and safety experts on 129 apartment complexes equipped with electric vehicle charging facilities in the area throughout September.

Gwangju City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 30th that it conducted safety inspections together with fire and safety experts on 1,315 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations installed in 129 apartment complexes within the region throughout September.

This inspection was organized to prevent fire risks associated with the increasing adoption of electric vehicles by focusing on fire and safety facilities of EV charging stations installed in apartment parking lots, following a series of electric vehicle fire incidents, and to ensure the safety of residents.

The inspection items included a thorough check of the electrical safety of EV charging stations in apartment parking lots, the operation status of fire extinguishers and fire alarms, evacuation route availability, and inspection logs.

The inspection results showed that fire facilities are maintained and managed according to relevant laws and regulations, but safety facilities were limited: suffocation extinguishing foam that covers the entire vehicle to cut off oxygen supply in case of fire was installed in 25 complexes (19.3%), upward sprinkler systems that connect fire hoses under the vehicle to spray water upwards were installed in 3 complexes (2.3%), and thermal detection CCTV that monitors the temperature rise of charging vehicles graphically was installed in only 10 complexes (7.7%).

Additionally, during the inspection, the city actively recommended to apartment managers and fire officials the installation of EV charging stations above ground, raising safety awareness through safety education and training, setting regular inspection intervals for facility inspection and record management, equipping safety facilities, and securing accessibility to fire facilities around charging zones.

The city plans to notify the respective apartment complexes of the inspection results, reiterate the importance of safety inspections for EV charging stations, and propose to Gyeonggi Province improvements to institutional standards for installing safety facilities such as fire detection sensors, suffocation extinguishing foam, thermal detection CCTV, and upward sprinkler systems, as well as subsidy support measures to strengthen safety management in charging zones.

Mayor Bang Se-hwan said, “We hope this inspection will contribute to enhancing the reliability of charging facilities in multi-family housing,” and added, “Given the significant concerns about electric vehicle fires, we will do our best to prevent EV fires and ensure citizen safety through thorough safety management.”