22 dead in tragic fire at lithium battery factory in South Korea

HWASEONG, South Korea, June 24 – A lithium battery factory in South Korea was set ablaze on Monday after several batteries exploded, killing 22 workers, most of them Chinese nationals, fire officials said.

The fire and a series of explosions rocked the factory of primary battery manufacturer Aricell in Hwaseong, an industrial area southwest of the capital Seoul.

The victims probably died from the extremely toxic gas within seconds of the fire getting out of control, officials said. The cause of the explosions was unclear, and the fire was largely extinguished after about six hours.

Among the dead were 18 Chinese workers, two South Koreans and one Laotian.

The nationality of the other deceased worker has yet to be confirmed, Kim Jin-young, an official with the Hwaseong Fire Department, told reporters, citing information from company officials.

The fire was first reported at 10:31 a.m. (01:31 GMT) after several battery cells exploded in a warehouse containing 35,000 batteries, Kim said.

A Reuters journalist saw firefighters removing up to six bodies from the factory.

Due to the intensity of the fire, it was difficult for rescue workers to identify the dead, Kim said.

Two people were being treated for severe burns, officials at the scene said.

Live television footage showed firefighters spraying the damaged steel and concrete building.

Parts of the upper floor had collapsed and large parts of the building looked as if they had been thrown onto the street by explosions.

Aerial photographs showed huge clouds of white smoke rising from the building and explosions rolling through the building.

Gyeonggi provincial fire official Cho Sun-ho said most of the foreign workers killed were temporary workers who were likely unfamiliar with the building’s structure. Smoke and fire spread within 15 seconds and the victims likely succumbed after taking one or two breaths, he said.

HIGHLY FLAMMABLE

Kim Jae-ho, a professor of fire and disaster prevention at Daejeon University, said the fire probably spread too quickly for workers to escape.

“Battery materials like nickel are highly flammable,” he said. “So there is often not enough time to react compared to a fire caused by other materials.”

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the accident site later Monday, while Interior Minister Lee Sang-min urged local authorities to take measures to prevent dangerous chemicals from contaminating the surrounding area.

Founded in 2020, South Korean company Aricell manufactures lithium primary batteries for sensors and radio communication devices. According to its most recent regulatory filing and Linkedin profile, the company employs 48 people.

Calls to Aricell offices went unanswered.

The company is not listed on the South Korean stock exchange but is majority owned by S-Connect, according to a filing by Aricell. S-Connect is listed on the junior Kosdaq index and its shares closed down 22.5 percent.

Highly toxic materials are used in battery production.

“The fact that there were so many casualties even though it was only the second floor is due to the toxic materials and not so much to the burns,” said Park Chul-wan of Seojeong University.

South Korea is home to major manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), and one of the world’s largest auto companies, Hyundai Motor, and its subsidiary Kia (000270.KS), opens new tab, are driving the shift from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles.

Two years ago, South Korea introduced a law that would subject company executives to possible prison sentences in the event of a fatal accident, after dozens of workers died in industrial accidents in the country each year.