Spark Ignites Chain Explosion... NIRS Computer Room Fire Footage Released

It has been confirmed that during the fire incident at the National Information Resources Service (hereafter referred to as the National Resources Service) computer room on the 26th of last month, sparks suddenly erupted from a battery pack, followed by a series of explosions.

CCTV footage during the fire at the National Resources Computer Room on the 26th of last month Photo by Yonhap News

According to closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from inside the fifth-floor computer room of the National Resources Service, provided by Assemblyman Kim Seonghoe of the Democratic Party, who is a member of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, a sudden flash and spark occurred at the top of a battery pack shelf installed along one wall of the computer room at 8:16 p.m. on the day of the incident.

At the time, workers were in the computer room moving lithium-ion batteries for uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems to the basement.

In another CCTV video, a worker can be seen working underneath the battery pack with a tool that appears to be a power drill when sparks fly out.

This worker was startled by the sudden sparks, briefly fell backward, and then got up. Other workers were also seen quickly evacuating. During the fire, one worker suffered first-degree burns to the face and arm.

Some workers were also captured on CCTV bringing fire extinguishers in an attempt to put out the fire.

However, just as it seemed the sparks on the battery rack were subsiding, a much more powerful explosion occurred at around 8:18 p.m., approximately one minute and thirty seconds after the initial ignition.

The sparks appeared to spread to adjacent battery packs, causing a chain of explosions, and about 30 seconds after the second ignition, the inside of the computer room was engulfed in gray smoke, making it difficult to see anything clearly.

Even after the workers evacuated, explosions continued in succession. By around 8:20 p.m., about three minutes after the first ignition, the computer room was filled with black smoke, making it nearly impossible to see anything on the CCTV footage.

The fire was completely extinguished by 6:00 p.m. the following day, on the 27th. All 384 battery packs in the fifth-floor computer room were destroyed.