Fire at chemical company in Ulsan extinguished after thousands evacuate; no casualties reported
Black smoke rises from a blaze at a chemical manufacturing company in Ulsan, about 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
Firefighters on Wednesday extinguished a blaze at a chemical manufacturing company in the southeastern city of Ulsan that forced thousands to evacuate, officials said, with no casualties reported.
The fire at the company facility in Ulsan, about 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was fully extinguished at 1:50 p.m. about four hours after it began at 9:41 a.m., according to the Ulsan Fire Headquarters.
No casualties have so far been reported from the blaze, which forced 12 company workers and about 7,000 workers at a nearby construction site to evacuate to safe locations.
The fire is believed to have erupted as toluene, a flammable material, was being transferred to drum containers. The blaze then spread to storage tanks containing various hazardous materials, including acetone and ethanol.
Fire authorities mobilized 201 personnel and 49 pieces of equipment to combat the blaze.
Police and fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the blaze.