“Even Gwangju City Hall Uses Non-Certified Electric Vehicle Fire Extinguishers”

Myeongno Lee, Gwangju City Council Member: "Lithium Battery Fire Unprepared"

Lee Myung-no, Gwangju City Council member.

Amid the recent surge in electric vehicle fires, concerns have been raised about the inadequacy of fire extinguishers installed in the underground parking lot of Gwangju City Hall in terms of safety management.

On the 12th, Lee Myung-no, a member of the Gwangju City Council (Democratic Party, Seo-gu 3), pointed out during the administrative audit of the Gwangju Climate and Environment Bureau that "an uncertified 300g Class D powder fire extinguisher is installed at the electric vehicle charging station in Gwangju City Hall, which is not suitable for lithium battery fires."

Following an electric vehicle fire in an underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Incheon, Lee inspected the fire safety facilities at the electric vehicle charging stations installed in Gwangju City Hall and confirmed that all fire extinguishers placed at the 39 electric vehicle chargers installed at City Hall were 300g Class D powder extinguishers without KC certification.

Class D powder extinguishers are used to suppress fires caused by combustible metals such as potassium, sodium, and magnesium, and are less relevant to lithium battery fires. In contrast, lithium battery fires that may occur at electric vehicle charging stations are classified as Class C fires.

Although Gwangju City revised its ordinance last May to support fire safety facilities for the prevention and response to fires at electric vehicle charging facilities, this has not yet been implemented.

Lee stated, "The uncertified fire extinguishers installed at the electric vehicle charging stations are not suitable for lithium battery fires," and added, "Despite the known fact that water-based extinguishing agents are more effective, installing these extinguishers is inexcusable."

He also emphasized, "While it is appropriate for the Climate and Environment Bureau to manage electric vehicle chargers, the management of safety equipment such as fire extinguishers should be transferred to specialized departments like the Citizen Safety Office to ensure clear division of responsibilities."

In response, Jung Hyun-yoon, head of the Climate and Environment Bureau, said, "Currently, there are no certified fire extinguishers available for electric vehicle charging stations, so similar products have been installed," and added, "We will secure certified products and replace them as soon as possible."

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