Fire at Aricell battery plant in Hwaseong results in 22 deaths

A catastrophic fire at the Aricell plant in Hwaseong city, South Korea, resulted in the deaths of at least 22 people after several lithium batteries exploded.

The incident occurred on Monday morning at the factory, located approximately 45 kilometers south of Seoul.

According to officials, the victims likely succumbed to extremely toxic gas within seconds of the fire getting out of control.

Firefighter Kim Jin-Young stated that over 100 people were working in the factory when a series of explosions were heard from the second floor, where lithium-ion batteries are inspected and packaged.

About 145 firefighters and 50 pieces of firefighting equipment were deployed to the scene.

The fire, caused by the explosions, was largely extinguished about six hours after the initial explosion.

Victims succumb to toxic smoke

Fire official Cho Sun-Ho reported that most of the workers were temporary hires who likely were not familiar with the building’s structure.

He stated that the workers succumbed to smoke inhalation rather than burn injuries, as the fire started on the second floor of the warehouse.

According to Cho, the workers likely became unconscious within 15 seconds of the fire spreading to their location, after taking one to two breaths of the highly toxic smoke generated by the burning batteries.

The intensity of the fire made it difficult to immediately identify the deceased.

Television footage showed dense smoke clouds and small explosions as firefighters battled the blaze.

Part of the factory’s roof had collapsed during the fire.

Investigation into cause and safety concerns

The cause of the explosions remains unclear, and authorities continue to investigate the incident.

The Aricell factory housed approximately 35,000 battery cells on its second floor, where batteries were inspected and packaged, with additional cells stored in other areas.

Entry to the site was initially hampered due to fears of further explosions.

Professor Kim Jae-Ho, a fire and disaster prevention expert at Daejeon University, noted the rapid spread of the fire, giving workers little time to escape.

“Battery materials such as nickel are easily flammable,” he said.

“So often, there is not enough time to respond, compared to a fire caused by other materials.”

Human rights and safety issues

The disaster drew attention to the working conditions of migrant workers in South Korea.

Many of the deceased were ethnic Koreans from China, who came to South Korea seeking better-paying jobs.

Samuel Wu, head of the Asan Migrant Workers Center, highlighted the discrimination and lack of safety protection faced by these workers.

South Korea has been increasing the number of workers it accepts from abroad to fill low-wage jobs, which are often more dangerous.

The country’s regulations treat lithium as an environmental concern rather than a fire hazard, leading to safety loopholes in factories handling the material.

Human rights groups have long protested the working conditions at small South Korean factories, most of which could not operate without workers from poorer countries.