Fire breaks out at chemical company in Ulsan, forcing 7,000 workers nearby to evacuate

ULSAN — A fire broke out at a chemical manufacturing company in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Wednesday, forcing around 7,000 workers near the site to evacuate, officials said. The fire began at 9:41 a.m., prompting fire authorities to mobilize some 200 personnel and three helicopters to fight the blaze, according to the Ulsan Fire Headquarters. All 16 workers at the site have evacuated, with no casualties reported so far. The fire is believed to have erupted from an outdoor storage tank containing 8,000 liters of toluene, a flammable material. The smoke from the blaze prompted refiner S-OIL to partially suspend operations of its Shaheen petrochemical project nearby, with about 7,000 workers evacuating to safe locations. Police and fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the blaze. Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung ordered authorities to mobilize all available resources to put out the fire and check for possible missing victims.