Fire at Ulsan Chemical Plant Forces 7,000 Workers to Evacuate

A fire and a series of explosions occurred at a chemical manufacturing company in the Onsan National Industrial Park in Ulsan on Wednesday morning. KBS World Radio reported the fire broke out around 9:40 a.m., while The Korea Times stated the blaze began at 9:41 a.m. The fire is believed to have erupted from an outdoor storage tank containing 8,000 liters of toluene.

According to The Korea Times, the incident forced approximately 7,000 workers to evacuate to safe locations, including workers at the nearby S-OIL Shaheen petrochemical project, which partially suspended operations due to smoke. All 16 workers at the site have evacuated, and no casualties have been reported so far.

In response to the blaze, the Ulsan Fire Headquarters mobilized about 200 personnel and three helicopters. KBS World Radio noted that a national fire mobilization order was issued, and The Korea Times reported that Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung ordered the use of all available resources to extinguish the fire and check for missing victims. Police and fire authorities intend to investigate the cause of the fire.

Brief written by urgent.news from KBS World Radio, The Korea Times — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.