On June 24, 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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| Date | June 24, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Time | 10:31 a.m.–16:30 p.m. (KST) |
| Duration | Six 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 |
| Missing | 1 |
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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 Smoke fills the air just 42 seconds after the first ignition... CCTV inside battery factory revealed, Yonhap News |
Starting at 10:31 a.m. KST on June 24, 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 of the building.[4] The batteries contained many flammable components such as lithium, causing the fire to spread rapidly. Large clouds of white smoke were present throughout the compound, with numerous explosions occurring across the building.[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]
Roughly 145 personnel and 50 pieces of equipment were deployed to the scene. The fire caused by the explosions was extinguished about six hours after the initial explosion, at 3:10 p.m. KST.[4]
Casualties
editEighteen Chinese workers, two South Koreans and one Laotian were among the dead, according to the Hwaseong fire service. Gyeonggi Province fire official Cho Sun-ho reported that most of the workers were temporary employees who likely were not familiar with the structure of the building. He said that the workers were killed by smoke inhalation instead of burn injuries due to the fire starting on the second floor of the warehouse, with the workers likely succumbing within 15 seconds of the fire spreading to their location after taking one to two breaths due to the toxicity of the smoke generated by the batteries.
Due to the intensity of the fire, it was difficult to immediately identify the dead.[1] Missing people were discovered by using their mobile phone signals to geolocate them to the second floor of the factory. Officials noted that the dead workers were likely unable to escape using stairs to the ground.[6] Twenty-two bodies were retrieved from the factory, while one victim subsequently died in a hospital.[2]
Eight people were injured, two with second-degree burns. One person is still missing.[5]
Investigation
editThree company officials are under investigation on suspicion of violating industrial safety laws.[7]
Response
editGovernment officials, including the Chinese ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, visited the site later that day and expressed their condolences to the victims. Yoon also ordered a full investigation into the cause of the fire.[2][8]
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][9][10]
References
edit- ^ a b c Kim, Daewoung; Kim, Hongji; Yim, Hyunsu (June 24, 2024). "Blaze at South Korea lithium battery plant kills 22 workers". Reuters. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "South Korean investigators search in factory ruins after fire killed 23, mostly Chinese migrants". Associated Press. June 25, 2024. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ Subbarao, Surampudi; Halpert, Gerald; Stein, Irving (June 1, 1986). "Safety Considerations of Lithium-Thionyl Chloride Cells". NTRS - NASA Technical Reports. 87: iii. Bibcode:1986STIN...8717396S. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ a b Lordache, Ruxandra (June 24, 2024). "South Korea plant fire kills 22 people after lithium battery combustion". CNBC. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ a b Wong, Tessa; Drury, Flora (June 24, 2024). "South Korea: Exploding lithium batteries spark deadly factory fire". BBC. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Fire at South Korea battery factory kills more than 20 workers in Hwaseong city, near Seoul - CBS News". CBS. June 24, 2024. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
- ^ https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korean-authorities-order-battery-maker-halt-operations-over-deadly-blaze-2024-06-26/
- ^ "At least 22 dead in fire at lithium battery plant". The Korea Times. June 24, 2024. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ "South Korea battery maker apologizes for deadly fire but says it complied with safety rules". Reuters. June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ "Battery manufacturer apologizes for Hwaseong factory blaze that left 23 dead". Korea JoongAng Daily. June 25, 2024. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.