Most of the Fire at S-Oil Ulsan Plant Extinguished... One Employee Dead

Fire Lasts About 12 Hours... Difficulties in Extinguishing Due to Highly Flammable Butane

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The fire at the S-Oil Ulsan plant was mostly extinguished after 12 hours.

According to the Ulsan Fire Headquarters on the 20th, the fire that started with an explosion at the S-Oil plant in Ulju-gun, Ulsan City at 8:51 p.m. the previous day continued for nearly 12 hours. From around 8 a.m., when most of the fire was suppressed, firefighters lowered the response level from Level 2 to Level 1 and began removing the flammable gases remaining inside the pipes and tanks. However, the fire authorities predicted that it would take more time to completely extinguish the fire.

The fire reportedly faced difficulties in suppression due to the highly flammable butane. Since it is a petrochemical process and the nature of the plant equipment requires burning the internal materials, there were challenges. After the fire broke out, the fire authorities issued a Level 2 response and mobilized 66 vehicles and 351 firefighting personnel.

The accident occurred at the alkylate production process site, which uses butane to increase the octane rating of gasoline. It is estimated that the initial explosion happened during the commissioning process after emergency repair of a malfunctioning butane compression valve. S-Oil completed the facility in 2019 with a total investment of 150 billion KRW.

One subcontractor employee died due to the fire. Nine workers, including both primary and subcontracted workers, were injured; among them, four sustained serious injuries and five minor injuries. Most of the injuries were reportedly burns.

On the previous day, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min gave an urgent directive regarding the fire, stating, “The Fire Agency, Ulsan City, Ulju-gun, and related organizations should prioritize the safety of rescue workers during the fire suppression process,” and “Ensure that secondary damage does not occur to nearby workplaces and residents.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.