A fire at a battery factory in South Korea has resulted in the tragic deaths of 22 workers, primarily of Chinese descent. The fire began after lithium battery cells exploded within the facility. Concerns are arising regarding the difficulty of extinguishing lithium battery fires compared to regular fires.
Local fire officials in Hwaseong, South Korea reported that the fire at the Aricell battery factory stemmed from exploding battery cells in the warehouse. The exact cause of the explosion has not been determined, and the blaze has since been put out. According to information from Aricell, 18 of the deceased workers were Chinese. Tragically, the intensity of the fire made it challenging to identify the deceased workers on the scene.
This incident marks the deadliest fire in South Korea since 2020 when 38 individuals perished in a construction site near Seoul. Videos circulating on social media depicted significant smoke billowing from the battery plant where 102 people were employed. The complexity of extinguishing lithium battery fires was highlighted by a Tesla “Megapack” fire in Australia that required 150 firefighters four days to contain. Additionally, a container ship loaded with large amounts of lithium-ion batteries experienced a fire, forcing it to remain anchored off the coast of Alaska.
Korea’s National Fire Agency and Aricell have yet to issue a response regarding the incident. The ramifications of this tragic fire underscore the importance of safety protocols and precautions in workplaces handling hazardous materials like lithium batteries.