Fire at Daejeon Auto Parts Factory Leaves at Least 50 Injured

Concerns Over Multiple Casualties... National Emergency Fire Mobilization Order Issued
Over 70 Pieces of Equipment and 240 Personnel Deployed for Firefighting Operations

At approximately 1:17 p.m. on March 20, a fire broke out at an auto parts manufacturing factory located in Munpyeong-dong, Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, resulting in injuries to over 50 people so far.

Fire scene at a factory in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, around 1:17 p.m. on the 20th. Provided by the National Fire Agency

The National Fire Agency issued Level 1 response just 9 minutes after the report was received, followed by Level 2 response after 14 minutes. Due to concerns over multiple casualties, the National Emergency Fire mobilization order was issued at 1:53 p.m.

The fire authorities have deployed more than 70 pieces of equipment and around 240 personnel to carry out firefighting operations.

As of 2:30 p.m., 35 people were reported to have sustained serious injuries and 15 people minor injuries, bringing the total number of injured to 50. There are also concerns that the number of casualties could rise, as there is a possibility that some individuals may still be missing inside the building.

The fire authorities plan to investigate the extent of the damage and the detailed cause of the fire, as well as check for missing persons inside the building, once the flames have been extinguished.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Noh Young-hoo instructed, "All relevant agencies, including the National Fire Agency, the National Police Agency, Daejeon Metropolitan City, and Daedeok-gu, must fully mobilize available manpower and equipment to focus all efforts on rescuing people and extinguishing the fire."

Minister Noh also added, "Do your utmost to prevent safety accidents among firefighters during this process," and requested the police to make every effort to control the area around the fire scene.

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