The Explosion Of A Lithium-Ion Battery Led To The Largest Fire At The Battery Plant
A major fire occurred at the Aricell battery production plant in the city of Hwaseong, which is located south of the capital Seoul.
According to surviving plant workers, a lithium battery exploded on the second floor of the building. Afterwards they heard several more explosions. And then the fire engulfed the plant.
The tragedy at the Aricell plant claimed the lives of 22 people. The explosion occurred on Monday morning when about 100 workers were at the plant. Most of the dead were Chinese citizens, local firefighters said.
The fire that followed the explosion continued for more than four hours before rescuers managed to bring the flames under control. The roof of the building was damaged and parts of the upper floor collapsed. At the time of the incident, approximately 35,000 batteries were stored at the plant.
About 35,000 battery cells were stored on the second floor of the plant at the time of the accident. Even more batteries were located in other rooms. According to firefighters, lithium batteries burn very quickly and are very difficult to extinguish. Dozens of fire brigades were involved in the accident. Instead of water, batteries were extinguished with dry sand.
