A fire that broke out in a cluster of factories in Danwon District, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, spread to adjacent plants and burned 11 buildings before the main blaze was brought under control about 10 hours and 30 minutes later. Six factory employees evacuated on their own, and no casualties have been confirmed so far.
According to fire authorities on the 8th, a fire started at about 9:05 p.m. on the 7th at a cardboard box manufacturing plant in Seonggok-dong, Danwon District, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. The flames spread to adjacent factories, burning 11 buildings operated by nine companies, including the plant where the fire began. Companies operating the damaged factories reportedly include those manufacturing heating and cooling units, gears, metal processing, iron gates, auto parts, cosmetics, and industrial robots.
Fire authorities issued a Level 1 response at 9:10 p.m., five minutes after the report came in. As the flames spread to nearby factories, the response was raised to Level 2 at 9:48 p.m. After an overnight firefight, the level was lowered to Level 1 at 4:30 a.m. on the 8th, and the fire was brought under initial control at about 7:42 a.m. "Initial control" means the main flames are contained and there is little risk of further spread.
Eighty-three pieces of equipment and 241 personnel were deployed to the firefighting operation. The Ansan city government sent disaster text alerts advising nearby residents to close their windows and for drivers to detour to surrounding roads.
Fire authorities believe large amounts of paper were stacked in the factory where the fire broke out and that the concentration of factories in the area contributed to the time it took to achieve initial control. Once the fire is fully extinguished, fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause and the extent of the damage.