Bucheon Painting Factory Fire Extinguished After More Than Two Hours... 2 Tons of Flammable Substances Found Inside

Fully extinguished after 2 hours and 28 minutes
100 20-liter containers of flammable liquid found

A fire at a painting factory in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, was extinguished after more than two hours. Seven people, including five firefighters, were injured in the fire. It was found that about 100 containers holding flammable substances were stored inside the factory. The factory was also found to have no sprinklers installed.

A fire broke out at a metal parts painting factory in Ojeong, Bucheon, on the 16th, and firefighters are working to put it out. A total of seven people, including five firefighters and two factory employees, suffered moderate to serious injuries. Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News on the 16th, a fire broke out at around 8:38 a.m. that day at a metal parts painting factory on the third floor of a four-story building in Naedong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon.

Two firefighters in their 40s who took part in extinguishing the fire suffered serious injuries. One of them was taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest and is receiving treatment. Three other firefighters sustained minor injuries, including heat exhaustion, while two factory employees were also injured by smoke inhalation and burns and taken to a hospital.

A preliminary investigation by fire authorities found that about 100 20-liter containers holding Class II petroleum, a Class 4 hazardous material (flammable liquid), were stored inside the factory where the fire broke out. The containers had a combined capacity of about 2,000 liters.

The investigation found that the factory had never obtained a permit to handle hazardous materials. However, further investigation is needed to determine whether the flammable substances being stored were subject to mandatory permitting under the law.

The factory reportedly had no sprinklers installed. Although it was required to have an automatic fire detection system, it did not meet the floor-area threshold that would require sprinkler installation.

Details also emerged about the circumstances in which the firefighters suffered serious injuries. After receiving a fire report, firefighters from the Ojeong 119 Safety Center of the Bucheon Fire Station were the first to respond. They entered the third floor of the building, where the fire was believed to have started, and began firefighting operations.

However, the flames spread rapidly and a large amount of smoke filled the area during the operation, leaving two firefighters who were working in a team of two trapped. They were rescued separately from locations about 5 meters apart. The two firefighters were reportedly wearing all the personal protective equipment required at the fire scene.

Earlier, fire authorities issued a Level 1 response at around 8:57 a.m., 19 minutes after the fire broke out, and raised it to Level 2 at around 9:09 a.m. As the flames subsided, they lowered the response level to Level 1 at around 10:08 a.m. They contained the main blaze at around 10:22 a.m. and lifted all response levels. The fire was fully extinguished at around 11:06 a.m., 2 hours and 28 minutes after it broke out.

Bucheon City issued a safety alert about the fire and urged residents to "refrain from going outside due to the large amount of smoke." Fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage, as well as determine whether the amount of flammable substances stored inside the factory met the threshold requiring a hazardous materials permit.

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