Initial Fire Suppression Completed at Pohang Steelworks ... Partial Factory Shutdown (Comprehensive)

A fire broke out at POSCO Pohang Steelworks, causing a power outage and halting operations at a significant number of factories. The fire department completed initial containment in about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

On the morning of the 23rd, POSCO Pohang Steelworks in Pohang, Gyeongbuk, was covered in smoke due to a fire. Police and fire authorities announced that the initial extinguishing was completed around 8:50 a.m. that day. Photo provided by a reader [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to POSCO and the Gyeongbuk Provincial Fire Headquarters on the 23rd, a fire occurred around 7:07 a.m. near the by-product gas pipeline at Blast Furnace No. 2 at POSCO Pohang Steelworks in Dongchon-dong, Nam-gu, Pohang.

The fire department mobilized 33 fire trucks and over 100 firefighters from the 119 Special Response Team and the Pohang, Gyeongju, and Yeongcheon fire stations, completing initial containment in about 1 hour and 40 minutes. No fire mobilization orders or response stages were issued. So far, no casualties or damage to residents have been confirmed.

The police estimated that sparks ignited the flames after a gas leak occurred due to a line pipe rupture inside the POSCO plant. POSCO announced via an internal text message, "A fire broke out near Blast Furnace No. 2, causing a power outage throughout the steelworks," and requested a complete suspension of by-product gas usage.

The power outage caused by the fire temporarily halted operations at many factories within the steelworks. At Pohang Steelworks, factories are separated by processes such as steelmaking and steel refining. The police confirmed that operations were suspended due to the power outage in 4 out of 5 POSCO zones.

A POSCO official stated, "We have cut off the by-product gas supply and are investigating the detailed cause. Although power generation temporarily decreased due to the gas supply suspension, electricity to critical facilities is being maintained through emergency generators, so there is no problem." He added, "We expect no significant impact on overall operations. Of the seven power plant units that temporarily stopped due to the power reduction, five have resumed operation, and currently, the blast furnace and FINEX are operating normally."

Meanwhile, POSCO clarified that the flames visible to the naked eye outside the plant were from flame cutting work and not caused by the fire.

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