Daejeon 'National Information Resources Service' Fire Brought Under Control After 10 Hours
Published 27 Sep.2025 08:33(KST)
Occurred While Power Was Being Cut Off for Battery Replacement
Rapid Response Hindered by Inability to Use Large Amounts of Water Due to Concerns Over National Data Damage
The fire that broke out at the National Information Resources Service in Daejeon at around 8:20 p.m. on the 26th was brought under control after approximately 10 hours.
According to the Daejeon Fire Headquarters on the 27th, the fire, which started with a lithium-ion battery explosion in the data processing room on the fifth floor of the National Information Resources Service in Hwaam-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, at around 8:20 p.m. the previous day, was extinguished after 9 hours and 50 minutes.
The Daejeon Fire Headquarters deployed around 170 personnel and 63 vehicles, including fire engines, to bring the main blaze under control by 6:30 a.m. They are currently focusing on ventilating the remaining smoke from the building.
Because using large amounts of water could damage national resource data, gas fire suppression systems such as carbon dioxide were used, which limited the speed of the firefighting efforts.
When the flames reignited, the batteries were eventually separated for a water-based operation; however, only a minimal amount of water was used, making it difficult to fully extinguish the fire.
Of the 192 lithium-ion battery packs stored inside, a significant portion had already burned.
The fire occurred while the power was being cut off for battery replacement work. During this process, an employee from the contractor suffered first-degree burns to his face and arm.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that government services housed at the Daejeon headquarters were suspended due to the fire at the National Information Resources Service.
Government services affected by the fire include 12 first-grade and 58 second-grade systems, such as mobile identification and the National Petition Portal.
Websites for government ministries, including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, as well as the Government24 online civil service portal, are experiencing disruptions.
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