On June 24, 2024, emergency vehicles were parked near the scene of a fire at the Hwaseong lithium battery factory owned by Korean battery manufacturer Aricell.
Anthony Wallace | AFP | Getty Images
A fire broke out at a factory in South Korea due to burning lithium batteries, killing at least 22 people, local officials said, according to NBC News.
Reuters said that 18 of the dead and injured were believed to be Chinese citizens.
Seven other people were injured, including two with second-degree burns, NBC News reported. Authorities are still searching for a missing person.
CNBC could not independently confirm the numbers.
A fire broke out at the Aricell battery factory in Hwaseong, a city south of Seoul, at around 10:31 a.m. local time, officials said. As of 3:10 pm local time, the fire has been basically controlled and has been extinguished.
According to NBC, the factory has an estimated 35,000 batteries. According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, the factory is a three-story reinforced concrete building covering an area of approximately 2,300 square meters and housing approximately 35,000 batteries.
On June 24, 2024, in Hwaseong, South Korea, a fatal fire broke out at a lithium battery factory owned by Korean battery manufacturer Aricell. First responders moved the body of a deceased person.
Kim Hongzhi | Reuters
“The fire started at a workstation located on the second floor of the factory building, and a battery explosion caused the fire,” Kim Jin-Young, an official from the Hwaseong Fire Department, said in the report.
According to the Associated Press, a total of 102 people were working at the factory before the fire. Quoting local officials As mentioned.
South Korea’s National Fire Service said in a report posted on Google Translate that approximately 145 personnel and 50 pieces of equipment were deployed to respond to the fire. Social media updates.
According to its LinkedIn pageFounded in 2020, Aricell produces lithium batteries for use in radio communications, metering, sensors, and gas and oil drilling.
The logo of South Korean battery manufacturer Aricell appears on the facade of its lithium battery factory after a fatal fire in Hwaseong, South Korea, on June 24, 2024.
Kim Hongzhi | Reuters
According to Google Translate, South Korea’s Minister of Internal Affairs and Security Lee Sang-min has convened a meeting of the Central Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and called on response agencies to focus on preventing more casualties and damage. Social media updates From the Ministry of Public Administration and Safety, South Korea.
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol’s office said in a statement translated by Google that he had been briefed on the incident. statement.
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