Factory fire in Bucheon likely caused by oil vapor ignited by frictional heat: officials
A fire at a factory in Bucheon that left one firefighter dead and seven others injured was likely caused by an oil mist catching fire during a metal cleaning operation, officials said Saturday. The fire broke out at the four-story metalworking factory in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, on Friday before fire authorities fully extinguished the blaze some two-and-a-half hours later. One firefighter…
A fire at a Bucheon factory claimed the life of one firefighter and left seven others injured, officials announced on Saturday. The blaze erupted at a four-story metalworking facility in Bucheon, situated west of Seoul, on Friday before being fully contained by emergency responders roughly two-and-a-half hours later. One of the firefighters suffered cardiac arrest before succumbing to his injuries in a hospital. Additionally, seven individuals sustained injuries, with one colleague sustaining severe wounds.
A joint investigation involving firefighters, police, the National Forensic Service, and the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation was launched to ascertain the cause of the fire. Upon their examination, investigators discovered that the workers had been utilizing paint thinner for the purpose of cleaning metal components at the time of the incident.
Authorities suspect that vapors released during the evaporation of the thinner may have ignited, potentially due to sparks generated by static electricity, an electrical discharge, or frictional heat. The factory's work area reportedly lacked adequate safety measures.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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