Fire at Ulsan chemical plant forces thousands of S-Oil workers to evacuate

A large fire broke out at a chemical manufacturer in Ulsan, and thousands of workers at a nearby S-Oil construction site were evacuated as explosions rang out and smoke spread.

The fire started at about 9:41 a.m. Wednesday at the plant in Haknam-ri, Onsan-eup, Ulju County. Fire authorities believe it began in Class 4 hazardous materials, the category that covers flammable liquids.

Authorities issued a Level 1 response at about 10:04 a.m. A Level 1 response, the lowest of three tiers, sends all personnel and equipment from the local fire station.

Firefighters were working to put out the blaze late Wednesday morning while checking whether anyone had been hurt.

The evacuated workers were at the construction site of S-Oil’s Shaheen project, a $7 billion petrochemical complex the refiner aims to bring into commercial operation early next year.

“Factory fire at 58-7 Haknam-ri, Onsan-eup,” Ulju County said in an emergency text alert sent at 10:15 a.m. “Vehicles should take a detour, and nearby residents should take care to stay safe.”

Once the fire is out, authorities will investigate how the explosions happened and what caused the fire, and assess the casualties and property damage.

BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]