Pyeongtaek City Holds Emergency Response Meeting Following Warehouse Fire in Cheongbuk-eup
Pyeongtaek City (Mayor Choi Won-yong) held an emergency response meeting on the 18th to address comprehensive follow-up measures and prevent secondary damage related to a warehouse fire containing hazardous materials and chemicals that occurred in Cheongbuk-eup on the 11th, and has entered an all-out response system by department and division.
The fire broke out at approximately 00:03 on August 11 in a storage warehouse located in Tojin-ri, Cheongbuk-eup. No casualties occurred due to swift initial evacuation procedures. The city immediately activated an integrated support headquarters and implemented preemptive emergency containment measures, including constructing containment barriers at eight locations to prevent contaminated water and hazardous substances from entering public waterways.
As of August 17, a total of approximately 3,700 tons of contaminated water was collected using 64 water trucks, and all discharge pipes and storm drains within the facility have been completely sealed to prevent discharge into streams.
To minimize secondary environmental pollution and resident damage, the city plans to establish and implement response measures by department and division without interruption.
A 24-hour on-site surveillance system is being maintained day and night to protect public waterways. The city plans to establish follow-up measures including water quality change monitoring and management, operation of a 'medical support team' to conduct health checks for residents and workers near the fire site, and response to farmland damage complaints and soil and agricultural water component analysis when necessary.
Mayor Choi Won-yong stated, “Preventing secondary damage such as water and soil contamination that may occur after fire suppression is most important. We will closely cooperate with relevant departments and agencies to minimize inconvenience to nearby residents and farms and make our utmost efforts until the accident is resolved quickly.”