Changwon Steel Mill Fire Enters Second Day; 20,000 Tons of Scrap Metal Ablaze, Hampering Firefighting Efforts

A firefighter sprays water on a burning pile of scrap metal. [Photo provided by Changwon Fire Headquarters]

A fire at a steel mill in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, is still burning more than a day after it broke out.

According to the Changwon Fire Headquarters, the fire started at 6:55 p.m. on October 10 in a byproduct storage building at a steel mill in Sinchon-dong, Seongsan-gu, Changwon.

Smoke and the smell of burning spread far with the wind, prompting 206 reports from residents of nearby apartment complexes and other surrounding areas.

After receiving the reports, fire authorities deployed 22 vehicles and pieces of equipment, including a firefighter recovery support vehicle, a large-capacity drainage pump, and a high-performance explosion-proof chemical fire truck, along with 47 firefighters and 59 other personnel, including members of the Gyeongnam Special Rescue Team. As of 6:23 a.m. on October 11, the fire had been 70% contained.

However, the fire reportedly made little progress toward being contained because flames repeatedly spread to adjacent piles of scrap metal among the approximately 20,000 tons stored inside the building.

Fire authorities are battling the blaze by using excavators, grapple trucks, cranes, and other equipment to move the scrap metal outside the building before extinguishing the flames.

No casualties have been reported so far.

Police and fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage once it has been fully extinguished.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.