Temporary Shelter Set Up at Gwangju Women's University Gymnasium
Capacity for 400 Households, Voluntary Evacuation Underway
Residents living near the Kumho Tire Gwangju factory are reporting smoke-related damage following the fire that broke out on the morning of the 17th. One resident said, "Even though I closed the windows and blocked them with wet towels, the smoke keeps coming into the house," adding, "My eyes and throat sting and I feel suffocated."
On the morning of the 17th, thick black smoke soared into the sky due to a fire that broke out at the Kumho Tire factory in Gwangsan District, Gwangju. Photo by Song Bohyun
Starting at 6:00 p.m. on the same day, the city of Gwangju set up and began operating a temporary shelter at the Gwangju Women's University gymnasium. Prepared in cooperation with Gwangsan District, this shelter can accommodate up to 400 households. The primary evacuation target consists of 600 households in four apartment complexes directly affected by the thick black smoke. However, no mandatory evacuation order has been issued, and only those who wish to evacuate are doing so voluntarily. The actual number of evacuees has not yet been determined.
The fire started at around 7:11 a.m. on the same day in the refining process area of the Kumho Tire factory in Sochon-dong, Gwangsan District, Gwangju. This area handles raw rubber and other core materials used in tire production, and it is reported that about 20 tons of rubber materials were stored inside the factory at the time of ignition. The factory building is also constructed with sandwich panels, which has caused the flames to spread rapidly and made firefighting efforts more difficult.
On the afternoon of the 17th, a fire at Kumho Tire Gwangju Plant in Songjeong-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju covered the area in thick black smoke. Photo by Yonhap News
The fire authorities initially issued a Level 1 response and then escalated it to Level 2 later in the morning. They also issued a national fire mobilization order, deploying all available firefighting personnel in the Gwangju area. By the afternoon, a total of 149 pieces of equipment, 452 personnel, 11 helicopters, and 15 high-performance chemical fire trucks had been dispatched to the scene. However, due to the large amount of flammable materials inside the factory, there is a significant risk that more than half of the entire factory could be completely destroyed by fire.
No casualties have been reported so far, and the factory has not released an official statement. Fire authorities are continuing to review protective measures for nearby residents as the smoke continues to spread. It is expected that it will take several more days to fully extinguish the fire.
On the afternoon of the 17th, when a fire broke out at Kumho Tire's Gwangju factory, residents were waiting for a bus to the shelter on a road near an apartment in Sochon-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News
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