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28 June 2024
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South Korea: fire at Lithium battery plant in Hwaseong kills 23 people
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A Lithium battery factory in South Korea was set on fire after multiple batteries exploded on Monday, 24 June 2024, killing 23 workers, fire officials said. The fire was first reported at 10h31am (0131 GMT) after a series of battery cells exploded. The fire and a series of explosions ripped through the factory run by primary battery manufacturer Aricell in Hwaseong, an industrial cluster southwest of the capital Seoul. The victims likely succumbed to extremely toxic gas within seconds of the fire getting out of control, the officials said.
Aerial footage showed massive white smoke clouds billowing from the structure and explosions rolling through the building.
The fire started at a workstation on the second floor of the building. The batteries contained many flammable components such as Lithium, causing the fire to spread rapidly. Large clouds of white smoke were present throughout the compound, with numerous explosions occurring across the building. Many sections of the roof collapsed due to the fires and large sections of concrete were scattered around nearby streets due to the force of the explosions.
Roughly 145 personnel and 50 pieces of equipment were deployed to the scene. The fire caused by the explosions was extinguished about six hours after the initial explosion, at 15h10.
Fire authorities lowered the emergency response from level 2, the second-highest level, to level 1, the lowest, at 21h51 on Monday, 11 hours after its initial issuance due to the diminishing fire and stabilised building conditions.
Level 2, which requires support from eight to 14 fire stations and the deployment of 51 to 80 pieces of fire equipment, was issued at 10h54am on Monday, less than 30 minutes after the fire started.
Eight employees were injured during the incident, with two in critical condition. The two people were being treated for major burns, officials at the scene said.
A total of 102 people were working at the factory before the fire occurred.
Gyeonggi province fire official Cho Sun-ho said most of the foreign workers killed were temporary hires, likely unfamiliar with the structure of the building. Smoke and the fire spread within 15 seconds and the victims likely succumbed after taking one or two breaths, he said.
Parts of the upper level had collapsed and large chunks of the building looked like they had been blown out into the street by explosions.
It was unclear what caused the explosions and the fire was largely extinguished in about six hours.
Surveillance footage shows the moment a deadly fire started. The video shows smoke coming from a stack of lithium batteries. And in a factory which contained around 35 000 of them, the fire quickly evolved into a huge fire, which then sparked explosions.
Firefighters with search dogs combed the remains on Tuesday (June 25) and found the body of the last unaccounted-for person, raising the death toll to 23. Rescue workers discovered the body under collapsed iron beams and other debris on the second floor, where all other bodies had been found. Due to its condition, the identity of the body has not yet been confirmed.
Of the 23 deceased, 18 people were foreigners, including 17 Chinese nationals and one Laotian, while five were Korean, according to police.
Although the cause of the fire is still being investigated, a worker who escaped from the fire told authorities that one of the batteries had exploded.
The second floor of the building had two doors leading outside but the victims were seemingly unable to use them. They were believed to be inspecting and packaging finished lithium battery products when the fire broke out.
On Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry said Beijing has called on South Korea to find the cause of the fire as quickly as possible.
The chief executive of the battery maker Aricell apologised for the incident but said the company had complied with safety rules. “The company will do its best to deal with this situation and will take on a firm responsibility. In addition, we will sincerely work on the investigation of the relevant authorities and will make every effort to follow up on the exact cause of the accident and prevent recurrence.”
The National Forensic Service, police and the fire department are holding a joint investigation into the incident.
Highly flammable
Kim Jae-ho, Fire and Disaster Prevention professor at Daejeon University, said the fire had probably spread too quickly for workers to escape. "Battery materials such as nickel are easily flammable," he said. "So often, there is not enough time to respond, compared to a fire caused by other materials."
Established in 2020, South Korea-based Aricell makes lithium primary batteries for sensors and radio communication devices. It has 48 employees, according to its latest regulatory filing and its Linkedin profile. The company is not listed on South Korea's stock market but is majority owned by S-Connect, according to Aricell's regulatory filing. S-Connect is registered on the junior Kosdaq index and its shares closed down 22.5%.
Battery production involves the use of highly toxic materials. "The fact that there were so many casualties when this was on only the second floor is because of the toxic materials and not so much because of burns," said Park Chul-wan at Seojeong University.
South Korea is home to major producers of lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs) and to one of the world's biggest automakers, Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia (000270.KS).
Two years ago South Korea brought in legislation to punish the executives of a company in the event of a fatal accident with possible jail terms after the country saw dozens of workers killed in industrial accidents each year.
Sources: Reuters, The New York Post, Korea JoongAng Daily
Aerial footage showed massive white smoke clouds billowing from the structure and explosions rolling through the building.
The fire started at a workstation on the second floor of the building. The batteries contained many flammable components such as Lithium, causing the fire to spread rapidly. Large clouds of white smoke were present throughout the compound, with numerous explosions occurring across the building. Many sections of the roof collapsed due to the fires and large sections of concrete were scattered around nearby streets due to the force of the explosions.
Roughly 145 personnel and 50 pieces of equipment were deployed to the scene. The fire caused by the explosions was extinguished about six hours after the initial explosion, at 15h10.
Fire authorities lowered the emergency response from level 2, the second-highest level, to level 1, the lowest, at 21h51 on Monday, 11 hours after its initial issuance due to the diminishing fire and stabilised building conditions.
Level 2, which requires support from eight to 14 fire stations and the deployment of 51 to 80 pieces of fire equipment, was issued at 10h54am on Monday, less than 30 minutes after the fire started.
Eight employees were injured during the incident, with two in critical condition. The two people were being treated for major burns, officials at the scene said.
A total of 102 people were working at the factory before the fire occurred.
Gyeonggi province fire official Cho Sun-ho said most of the foreign workers killed were temporary hires, likely unfamiliar with the structure of the building. Smoke and the fire spread within 15 seconds and the victims likely succumbed after taking one or two breaths, he said.
Parts of the upper level had collapsed and large chunks of the building looked like they had been blown out into the street by explosions.
It was unclear what caused the explosions and the fire was largely extinguished in about six hours.
Surveillance footage shows the moment a deadly fire started. The video shows smoke coming from a stack of lithium batteries. And in a factory which contained around 35 000 of them, the fire quickly evolved into a huge fire, which then sparked explosions.
Firefighters with search dogs combed the remains on Tuesday (June 25) and found the body of the last unaccounted-for person, raising the death toll to 23. Rescue workers discovered the body under collapsed iron beams and other debris on the second floor, where all other bodies had been found. Due to its condition, the identity of the body has not yet been confirmed.
Of the 23 deceased, 18 people were foreigners, including 17 Chinese nationals and one Laotian, while five were Korean, according to police.
Although the cause of the fire is still being investigated, a worker who escaped from the fire told authorities that one of the batteries had exploded.
The second floor of the building had two doors leading outside but the victims were seemingly unable to use them. They were believed to be inspecting and packaging finished lithium battery products when the fire broke out.
On Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry said Beijing has called on South Korea to find the cause of the fire as quickly as possible.
The chief executive of the battery maker Aricell apologised for the incident but said the company had complied with safety rules. “The company will do its best to deal with this situation and will take on a firm responsibility. In addition, we will sincerely work on the investigation of the relevant authorities and will make every effort to follow up on the exact cause of the accident and prevent recurrence.”
The National Forensic Service, police and the fire department are holding a joint investigation into the incident.
Highly flammable
Kim Jae-ho, Fire and Disaster Prevention professor at Daejeon University, said the fire had probably spread too quickly for workers to escape. "Battery materials such as nickel are easily flammable," he said. "So often, there is not enough time to respond, compared to a fire caused by other materials."
Established in 2020, South Korea-based Aricell makes lithium primary batteries for sensors and radio communication devices. It has 48 employees, according to its latest regulatory filing and its Linkedin profile. The company is not listed on South Korea's stock market but is majority owned by S-Connect, according to Aricell's regulatory filing. S-Connect is registered on the junior Kosdaq index and its shares closed down 22.5%.
Battery production involves the use of highly toxic materials. "The fact that there were so many casualties when this was on only the second floor is because of the toxic materials and not so much because of burns," said Park Chul-wan at Seojeong University.
South Korea is home to major producers of lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs) and to one of the world's biggest automakers, Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia (000270.KS).
Two years ago South Korea brought in legislation to punish the executives of a company in the event of a fatal accident with possible jail terms after the country saw dozens of workers killed in industrial accidents each year.
Sources: Reuters, The New York Post, Korea JoongAng Daily
