A major fire broke out at Kumho's plant in Korea

On Saturday, May 17, a major fire engulfed a large part of the Kumho Tire factory in Gwangju, about 270 km southeast of Seoul, after which the authorities announced a mobilization of fire services throughout the country, which allowed employees and equipment from neighboring regions to be involved, reports Yonhap.

It is noted that the fire started at 7:11 am and quickly spread throughout the factory, with the height of the flames reaching 100 meters. By noon, 70% of the western part of the enterprise was engulfed in flames, which is equivalent to five football fields in area.

Production has been completely stopped, 400 workers have been evacuated, and one 20-year-old employee was injured and taken to a local hospital. There is no threat to his life.

Presumably, the ignition occurred due to equipment for heating raw rubber. The authorities claim that it may take several days to completely extinguish the fire, and the extinguishing is complicated by the fact that about 20 tons of raw rubber were stored at the plant.

In March 2023, a major fire occurred at the Hankook plant in Daejeon, and it was reported that about 200,000 tires were destroyed at the time.

Photo: Yonhap