A large fire broke out at Kumho Tire's Gwangju factory on the 17th, resulting in one employee being rescued with serious injuries.
According to the fire authorities, the fire occurred at approximately 7:11 a.m. at Kumho Tire's Gwangju factory in Songjeong-dong, Gwangsan District.
One male employee in his twenties was rescued with a leg fracture at the scene of the fire. The employee was trapped inside the burning building due to the leg injury and was located by the 119 rescue team after approximately 40 minutes of searching.
Although toxic gases were also present inside the building, fortunately, there was no impact on life. It is reported that another employee was also rescued after evacuating to the rooftop.
Meanwhile, the site where the fire started has been tentatively identified by fire authorities as an electric oven device in the refining process that mixes basic tire materials such as raw rubber and chemical agents. This device preheats the rubber before the material mixing.
Witnesses, including employees, stated that an unexplained spark occurred from the device, igniting combustible materials nearby and starting the fire.
The fire authorities raised the response level from 1 to 2 at 7:59 a.m., which had been issued at 7:28 a.m., and are currently in the process of extinguishing the fire.