Flames that broke out at a hazardous materials storage facility in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, were contained after about nine hours. No casualties were reported.
According to the National Fire Agency, the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters declared initial containment of the fire at the PJK Pyeongtaek 1 Center in Tojin-ri, Cheongbuk-eup, Pyeongtaek, at 9:08 a.m. on the 11th. Initial containment is the stage where the flames are under control and there is no concern of the fire spreading.
The fire was reported at about 12:03 a.m. that day through an automatic fire alarm system. The warehouse building where the fire broke out is authorized to store about 1.91 million liters (ℓ) of chemical substances, including roughly 100 types of Class 4 hazardous materials. Under the Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act, Class 4 hazardous materials are flammable liquids, including special flammables, Class 1–4 petroleum products, and alcohols.
Believing that the fire could spread rapidly due to chemicals inside the warehouse building, fire authorities issued a national firefighting mobilization order at 3:39 a.m. that day. A national firefighting mobilization order is issued by the commissioner of the National Fire Agency when it is difficult to respond to a disaster such as a fire with the firefighting capacity of a specific province or when it is deemed necessary at the national level to mobilize firefighting resources to the disaster scene.
Fire authorities mobilized 102 pieces of equipment and 255 personnel to the site, including 28 vehicles from other provinces, to battle the blaze, and the flames did not spread further. Of the seven buildings in total, only two sustained fire damage.
Fire authorities lifted the response level at 8:30 a.m. that day. They also partially lifted the national firefighting mobilization order. They are continuing cleanup operations, including extinguishing remaining embers.
Fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire after fully completing the suppression work.