How many people were evacuated after the Ulsan chemical company fire?

All 16 workers at the chemical company evacuated, while smoke from the blaze led around 7,000 workers near the site, including those at S-OIL’s nearby Shaheen petrochemical project, to move to safe locations.

What emergency response was launched during the Ulsan chemical fire?

The Ulsan Fire Headquarters mobilized about 200 personnel and three helicopters to fight the blaze. Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung also ordered authorities to deploy all available resources and check for possible missing victims.

Fire breaks out at chemical company in Ulsan, forcing 7,000 workers nearby to evacuate

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Summary

A fire broke out at a chemical manufacturing company in Ulsan on Wednesday, prompting around 7,000 nearby workers to evacuate. The blaze began at 9:41 a.m. at an outdoor storage tank containing 8,000 liters of toluene. Fire authorities deployed about 200 personnel and three helicopters, while S-OIL partially suspended operations at its nearby Shaheen petrochemical project. No casualties were reported, and authorities planned to investigate the cause.

Key Facts

All 16 workers at the chemical company evacuated the site without reported casualties.
Smoke from the fire prompted S-OIL to partially suspend operations at its Shaheen petrochemical project and move about 7,000 workers to safe locations.
Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung ordered authorities to use all available resources to extinguish the fire and check for possible missing victims.
Police and fire authorities planned to investigate the exact cause of the blaze.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 14, 2026 12:23 pm KST

Black smoke rises from a blaze at a chemical manufacturing company in Ulsan, about 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

ULSAN — A fire broke out at a chemical manufacturing company in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Wednesday, forcing around 7,000 workers near the site to evacuate, officials said.

The fire began at 9:41 a.m., prompting fire authorities to mobilize some 200 personnel and three helicopters to fight the blaze, according to the Ulsan Fire Headquarters.

All 16 workers at the site have evacuated, with no casualties reported so far.

The fire is believed to have erupted from an outdoor storage tank containing 8,000 liters of toluene, a flammable material.

The smoke from the blaze prompted refiner S-OIL to partially suspend operations of its Shaheen petrochemical project nearby, with about 7,000 workers evacuating to safe locations.

Police and fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the blaze.

Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung ordered authorities to mobilize all available resources to put out the fire and check for possible missing victims.

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