Kumho Tire Fire Reignites Two Days After Being Declared Extinguished... Overnight Firefighting Continues

Flames Reignite at Plant 2 in the Afternoon of the 22nd

At the site of the Kumho Tire Gwangju factory fire, which had previously been declared fully extinguished, embers reignited, prompting fire authorities to be redeployed. The firefighting operation continued throughout the night, but the flames have not yet been completely contained.

On the morning of the 17th, black smoke soared into the sky due to a fire at the Kumho Tire factory in Gwangsan District, Gwangju. Photo by Song Bohyun

According to the Gwangju Fire Headquarters on the 23rd, the fire reignited at around 5:40 p.m. the previous day at the Kumho Tire Plant 2 in Sochon-dong, Gwangsan District, Gwangju. While demolition of the building and monitoring for embers were underway, the fire flared up again, and the firefighters who were present at the site were immediately dispatched to begin extinguishing the blaze. Sixteen personnel were deployed, and the embers spread across approximately 150 meters, from the semi-finished product manufacturing process to the refining process.

The Kumho Tire Gwangju factory was the site of a major fire at around 7:11 a.m. on the 17th, which led to the issuance of a national firefighting mobilization order and the evacuation of 249 nearby residents to the Gwangju Women's University gymnasium. During the evacuation, a worker in his twenties fell and suffered serious injuries to his head and back, and two firefighters were also injured during the firefighting efforts.

At around 11:40 a.m. on the 22nd, numerous firefighting equipment and police personnel arrived at the Kumho Tire Gwangju factory fire site to conduct an investigation into the cause of the accident. Photo by Shim Jinseok

This factory had been declared fully extinguished at 11:55 a.m. on the 20th, 77 hours after the fire broke out, and work to dismantle the building and clear remaining embers was underway. However, with the fire reigniting after just two days, there are now concerns that the firefighting operation could be prolonged. The fire authorities plan to remove the source of the embers that reignited the fire as soon as the extinguishing operation is completed.

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