Gwangju: Firefighters made all-out efforts on Sunday to extinguish a fire at Kumho Tire's plant, with the fire believed to be some 80 percent contained, according to authorities. The fire began Saturday morning at the factory's plant No. 2 in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, about 460 personnel and 170 pieces of equipment were mobilized to put out the fire. Authorities have suspected that the fire may have started from equipment used for heating raw rubber. In order to contain the blaze at the 140,000-square-meter factory, firefighters have installed water cannon systems at the site.
Due to the large amount of water needed, authorities at one point asked nearby residents to refrain from using tap water, while using water supplied from Hwangryong River in the city. They have also mobilized 18 vehicles to spray firefighting foam on burning raw rubber to cut off oxygen and suppress the fire.
While the blaze has been somewhat contained, smoke and toxic fumes continued to emanate from the plant, prompting authorities to hold off on lifting a nationwide firefighting mobilization order issued the previous day. Authorities aim to contain up to 95 percent of the fire on Sunday.
Kumho Tire has halted production at the plant due to the fire. Approximately 50-60 percent of plant No. 2 is believed to have burned down. Kumho Tire CEO Jung Il-taik apologized for the fire, vowing to make all-out recovery efforts. "(We) will make efforts to minimize inconvenience to those who live near the Gwangju factory and have evacuated," he said. "I truly, deeply apologize. (We) will place extinguishing the fire as the top priority by actively working with the authorities."
A total of 182 residents of an apartment near the factory have evacuated to a shelter at Kwangju Women's University due to the fire.