Hwaseong battery factory fire
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (June 2024) |
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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′18″N 126°40′38″E / 37.18837°N 126.67726°E |
| Deaths | 22 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 8 |
| Missing | 1 |
On 24 June 2024, in Hwaseong, South Korea, a lithium battery factory owned by Aricell caught on fire after several batteries exploded. The fire killed 22 workers and wounded eight more, most of whom were Chinese nationals.[1]
Explosions
Starting at 10:31 a.m. KST on 24 June 2024, a series of explosions occurred at a warehouse in a battery plant which hosted over 35,000 batteries. The fire started at a workstation on the second floor of the building.[2] 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 detonating across the building.[1] Many sections of the roof collapsed due to the fires. About 100 people were working at the warehouse at the time of the initial explosion.[3] Large sections of concrete were scattered around nearby streets due to the force of the explosions.[4]
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.[2]
Casualties
Eighteen 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 hires who likely were not familiar to the structure of the building. He claimed that the workers were killed by smoke inhalation instead of from 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 identities of the deceased.[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 deceased workers were likely unable to escape using stairs to the ground.[4]
In addition, eight people were injured, with two suffering second-degree burns. One person was still missing.[3]
Aricell Lithium-Thionyl Chloride batteries
Aricell manufactures Lithium-Thionyl Chloride batteries. These batteries are not rechargeable. A 1986 JPL study, "Safety considerations of lithium-thionyl chloride cells" discusses the safety issues with this battery technology. It says that "Safety hazards have ranged from mild venting of toxic materials to violent explosions and fires."[5]
References
- ^ a b c Kim, Daewoung; Kim, Hongji; Yim, Hyunsu (24 June 2024). "Blaze at South Korea lithium battery plant kills 22 workers". Reuters. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ a b Lordache, Ruxandra (2024-06-24). "South Korea plant fire kills 22 people after lithium battery combustion". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
- ^ a b Wong, Tessa; Drury, Flora (24 June 2024). "South Korea: Exploding lithium batteries spark deadly factory fire". BBC. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
- ^ a b "Fire at South Korea battery factory kills more than 20 workers in Hwaseong city, near Seoul - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2024-06-24. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
- ^ Subbarao, Surampudi; Halpert, Gerald; Stein, Irving (1986-06-01). "Safety considerations of lithium-thionyl chloride cells". NTRS - NASA Technical Reports. 87: 17396. Bibcode:1986STIN...8717396S.