On 24 June 2024, in Hwaseong, South Korea, a lithium battery factory owned by Aricell caught on fire after several batteries exploded.[1] The fire killed 23 workers and wounded eight more, mostly Chinese nationals.[2]
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| Native name | 화성 전지 제조공장 화재 사고 |
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| Date | 24 June 2024 |
| Time | 10:31 a.m.–3:10 p.m. (KST) |
| Duration | approx. five hours |
| Location | Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, South Korea |
| Coordinates | 37°11′20″N 126°40′39″E / 37.18889°N 126.67750°E |
| Deaths | 23 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 8 |
Background
editAricell manufactures non-rechargeable lithium-thionyl chloride batteries. A 1986 Jet Propulsion Laboratory study titled Safety Considerations of Lithium-Thionyl Chloride Cells noted that "safety hazards have ranged from mild venting of toxic materials to violent explosions and fires."[3]
Explosions
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 CCTV footage showing the moment the fire starts, released by the Yonhap News Agency |
Starting at 10:31 a.m. KST on 24 June 2024, a series of explosions occurred at a warehouse in a battery plant which contained over 35,000 batteries. The fire started at a workstation on the second floor.[4] The batteries contained many flammable components such as lithium, causing the fire to spread rapidly. Large clouds of white smoke were present throughout, with numerous explosions occurring.[1] About 100 people were working at the warehouse at the time of the initial explosion.[5] Many sections of the roof collapsed due to the fires, and large sections of concrete were scattered around nearby streets due to the force of the explosions.[6]
About 145 personnel and 50 units of firefighting and rescue equipment were deployed to the scene. The fire caused by the explosions was extinguished about five hours after the initial explosion, at 3:10 p.m. KST.[4]
Casualties
editSeventeen Chinese workers, five South Koreans and one Laotian were among the dead; they were identified as seventeen women and six men.[7] Gyeonggi Province fire official Cho Sun-ho reported that most of the workers were temporary employees who likely were not familiar with the floor plan. He said that the workers died of smoke inhalation instead of burn injuries. The fire started on the second floor and spread to the workers' location where they likely took one to two breaths before succumbing to the toxic battery smoke within 15 seconds.[1]
Due to the intensity of the fire, it was difficult to immediately identify the dead.[1] Missing people were discovered by geolocating their mobile phone signals to the second floor. Officials noted that the dead workers likely could not escape using stairs to the ground.[6] Twenty-two bodies were retrieved, while one victim subsequently died in a hospital.[2]
Eight people were injured, two with second-degree burns.[5]
Investigation
editThree company officials are under investigation on suspicion of violating industrial safety laws.[8] On 28 August, Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan was arrested after a warrant was issued against him over the disaster by a court in Suwon. His son, who is also an Aricell executive, was also ordered arrested.[9]
Response
editGovernment officials, including the Chinese ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, came to the site later that day and expressed their condolences to the victims. Yoon also ordered a full investigation into the causes of the fire.[2][10]
Aricell CEO Park Soon-kwan apologized and expressed his condolences to those affected by the accident on the following day. Park also stated that he would provide support and will cooperate fully with the investigation.[2][11][12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Kim, Daewoung; Kim, Hongji; Yim, Hyunsu (24 June 2024). "Blaze at South Korea lithium battery plant kills 22 workers". Reuters. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d "South Korean investigators search in factory ruins after fire killed 23, mostly Chinese migrants". Associated Press. 25 June 2024. Archived from the original on 25 June 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ Subbarao, Surampudi; Halpert, Gerald; Stein, Irving (1 June 1986). "Safety Considerations of Lithium-Thionyl Chloride Cells". NTRS – NASA Technical Reports. 87: iii. Bibcode:1986STIN...8717396S. Archived from the original on 25 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ a b Lordache, Ruxandra (24 June 2024). "South Korea plant fire kills 22 people after lithium battery combustion". CNBC. Archived from the original on 24 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ a b Wong, Tessa; Drury, Flora (24 June 2024). "South Korea: Exploding lithium batteries spark deadly factory fire". BBC. Archived from the original on 24 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Fire at South Korea battery factory kills more than 20 workers in Hwaseong city, near Seoul – CBS News". CBS. 24 June 2024. Archived from the original on 24 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "화성 공장 화재 마지막 실종자 시신 수습…사망자 23명". Cbosun TV (in Korean). 25 June 2024.
- ^ Yim, Hyunsu; Park, Ju-min (26 June 2024). "South Korea halts battery maker's operations as it probes deadly blaze". Reuters. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ "South Korea arrests battery maker CEO over fire that killed 23". Al Jazeera. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ "At least 22 dead in fire at lithium battery plant". The Korea Times. 24 June 2024. Archived from the original on 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "South Korea battery maker apologizes for deadly fire but says it complied with safety rules". Reuters. 25 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
- ^ "Battery manufacturer apologizes for Hwaseong factory blaze that left 23 dead". Korea JoongAng Daily. 25 June 2024. Archived from the original on 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.