Firefighters combat blaze at chemical warehouse in Pyeongtaek

Pyeongtaek, South Korea - A fire ignited at a chemical storage warehouse in the city, south of Seoul, on Tuesday morning, but efforts by firefighters to control it have been partially successful thus far. No injuries or casualties have been reported so far.

The fire was reported to authorities at 12:03 a.m. local time, emanating from a facility housing over 1.9 million liters of flammable chemicals. The warehouse, which sits near Pyeongtaek, located approximately 60 kilometers away from Seoul, was storing a variety of hazardous materials.

Following the initial alert, the national firefighting system issued a Level 2 response, mobilizing up to 80 firefighting vehicles to the scene. However, as the blaze came under partial control, the response was downgraded to a Level 1 operation, deploying up to 50 vehicles.

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook directed fire authorities to deploy all available personnel and resources to extinguish the fire and search for any potential victims. The multi-story building housed over 100 types of hazardous substances, including flammable liquids. The exact cause of the fire is currently under investigation.