Fire at Waste Disposal Company in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul Extinguished After 21 Hours

No Casualties Reported

A fire at a waste disposal company in Yongdu-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul was extinguished after 21 hours.

On the morning of the 15th, a fire broke out at the Environmental Resource Center in Yongdu-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, with black smoke rising. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The fire department announced on the 16th at 5:48 a.m. that the fire at the Dongdaemun Environmental Development Corporation Environmental Resource Center was completely extinguished and the response level was lifted. It was about 21 hours and 30 minutes since the fire started spreading around 8:20 a.m. the previous day.

According to the fire department, 33 employees and related personnel who were in the building at the time of the fire evacuated on their own, and there were no reported casualties. Most of the waste inside was destroyed by the fire.

The fire is believed to have started in the deodorizing facility that handles the odor of food waste on the third basement floor.

The fire department issued a Level 1 response about 40 minutes after the fire broke out, but faced difficulties controlling the flames because the fire occurred underground and there were many recyclable materials such as plastics inside the building. The firefighting operation involved 494 personnel and 109 vehicles.

When the fire broke out, Seoul Metro operated trains on Line 2 at Yongdu Station without stopping from 9:58 a.m. to 11:03 a.m. the previous day, and Exit 4 of Yongdu Station near the incident site was temporarily closed.

Additionally, Seongdong-gu Office and Dongdaemun-gu Office sent safety alert messages around 12:27 p.m. stating, "The concentration of smoke and other emitted substances due to the fire exceeded the standard levels. Residents are advised to close windows and refrain from going outside."

The fire department is investigating the exact cause of the fire.

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