Main Fire at Kumho Tire Gwangju Factory Extinguished After 31 Hours

Half of Plant 2 Destroyed
Production Halted and 132 Residents Evacuated

Firefighters are spraying water as they carry out extinguishing operations on the second day of the fire at Kumho Tire Gwangju factory on the 18th. Photo by Yonhap News

The large-scale fire that broke out at the Kumho Tire Gwangju factory in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju has entered a stabilization phase after approximately 31 hours.

The Gwangju Fire Headquarters announced that initial extinguishing of the fire was completed at 2:50 p.m. on the 18th. This was about 31 hours and 40 minutes after the fire started at around 7:11 a.m. the previous day. Fire authorities stated that the current extinguishing rate has reached 90 to 95 percent, and they expect full extinguishment to be achieved around 5:00 p.m., approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes after the main fire was brought under control.

The fire occurred in the second process of the second plant (the western plant) at the Kumho Tire Gwangju factory. It is believed to have started when an unidentified spark ignited in an industrial oven used to preheat raw rubber. A large amount of flammable materials, including 20 tons of raw rubber, was being stored inside the plant.

On the 18th, the second day after the fire at Kumho Tire's Gwangju factory, smoke was coming from the second plant where the fire occurred, while firefighters sprayed water to extinguish the fire. Photo by Yonhap News

To suppress the fire, the fire authorities issued a national fire mobilization order and urgently deployed high-performance equipment from across the country. Two large-capacity monitors, each with the performance of 20 fire engines and a maximum output of 45,000 liters per minute, were operated throughout the day. In addition, 18 high-performance chemical fire trucks capable of spraying oxygen-blocking agents were dispatched, taking into account the characteristics of raw rubber.

The early removal of flammable materials stored inside the plant to the outside also contributed to preventing the spread of the fire. The remaining area where the fire persists is at risk of building collapse, so extinguishing efforts will be completed after debris is removed.

As a result of this fire, one worker and two firefighters were reported injured. It is tentatively estimated that 50 to 60 percent of the second plant, which is part of the total factory area, was destroyed. Kumho Tire has completely suspended production at the Gwangju factory following the fire.

Currently, 132 residents from 71 households in the apartment complex adjacent to the factory are staying at a temporary shelter set up at the Gwangju Women's University gymnasium.

With the completion of the initial extinguishing on this day, the fire authorities downgraded the response level from the national mobilization order to Level 1. Response Level 1 is an alert in which all personnel from the local fire station are mobilized. For this fire, 168 pieces of firefighting equipment and 308 personnel were deployed.