Blaze at Kumho Tire's Gwangju plant will take three days to extinguish, firefighters say
Published: 17 May. 2025, 14:54
Updated: 17 May. 2025, 15:02
![Fire broke out at a Kumho Tire factory in Gwangju on May 17. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/17/b9bc3250-470e-440d-a899-a78f04276d5d.jpg)
Fire broke out at a Kumho Tire factory in Gwangju on May 17. [YONHAP]
A large fire broke out Saturday at Kumho Tire's Gwangju plant in downtown Gwangju. The blaze left one employee and two firefighters injured, forced the evacuation of around 400 workers, and brought tire production at the facility to a complete halt.
The fire will take at least three days to be completely extinguished, according to fire authorities, as the factory's sandwich panel structure makes it difficult to put out the fire, on top of the abundance of tires and other combustible materials on site. The National Fire Agency has issued a nationwide fire mobilization order to the Gwangju plant.
According to fire officials, the fire broke out around 7:11 a.m. at the Kumho Tire Gwangju Plant in Sochon-dong, Gwangsan District, Gwangju. Firefighting efforts are still underway six hours after the outbreak.
During the evacuation, an employee in his twenties fell from the third floor of the factory, suffering a spinal fracture and a head injury; he was rescued and transported to a hospital.
![A helicopter tries to put out a fire at the Kumho Tire factory in Gwangju on May 17. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/05/17/2f87e9c9-338a-4b75-93fe-4ec9dea334d7.jpg)
A helicopter tries to put out a fire at the Kumho Tire factory in Gwangju on May 17. [JOONGANG ILBO]
The fire authorities have mobilized 77 vehicles, including special fire trucks and helicopters, along with 207 personnel to battle the blaze and prevent it from spreading. With support from the National 119 Rescue Headquarters' special rescue team, a high-capacity spraying system capable of releasing 45,000 liters of water (11,880 gallons) per minute has also been deployed. Five more firefighting helicopters have also been requested from the Korea Forest Service and South Jeolla to aid the effort.
Fire officials are also focusing on securing a stable supply of firefighting water for the prolonged operation. Helicopters from the Korea Forest Service are being used to draw water from nearby rivers and spray it over the fire. The Gwangju city government had also sent safety alerts to nearby residents asking them to limit their water use.
Kumho Tire will suspend all production at the Gwangju plant until the situation is resolved.
There have been no disruptions to KTX and other train services at the Gwangju Songjeong Station, located about one kilometer (0.62 miles) from the fire site.
Thick black smoke from the fire has spread widely and caused significant inconvenience for residents in Songjeong-dong and Sochon-dong, where the factory is located. Reports have also come in of a pungent smell reaching more than four kilometers away, into the city center of Seo District.
Safety alerts from both the Gwangju City and Gwangsan District governments were sent to urge drivers to take detours and residents to exercise caution, as the smoke from the fire continued to spread.
Authorities also advised people to keep their windows closed and refrain from going outside, and 10,000 protective masks were distributed to residents of 32 apartment complexes near the Kumho Tire factory.
Contaminated water used in firefighting has also been generated at the scene. The Kumho Tire Gwangju Plant is situated near the confluence of the Yeongsan and Hwangryong Rivers, and fire authorities are working to prevent polluted water from leaking into the waterways.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHOI KYEONG-HO, HWANG HEE-GYU [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)