A fire broke out early Sunday at POSCO’s Pohang steel plant, triggered by an explosion in the factory’s No. 3 Finex plant. Firefighters extinguished the blaze after five hours, authorities reported.
According to the Gyeongsangbuk-do Fire Department, the fire erupted around 4:20 a.m. in the No. 3 Finex plant, located in Pohang’s Nam-gu district. Fire authorities issued a Level 1 response at 4:50 a.m., deploying 44 fire trucks and 121 personnel. The main fire was brought under control by 6:37 a.m., and the blaze was fully extinguished by 9:20 a.m., according to fire officials.
The No. 3 Finex plant, which produces molten iron by directly using iron ore and coal without a pre-treatment process, presented initial challenges to the firefighting teams. The fire, which originated in the approximately 50-meter-tall tower, was difficult to access due to intense flames and heavy smoke.
Among the eight workers present at the time of the fire, one was injured while the other seven evacuated safely. A 30-year-old member of POSCO’s emergency response team, identified as A, suffered second-degree burns while attempting to contain the flames and was transported to a hospital in Pohang for treatment.
The explosion and subsequent tremors were felt not only in nearby neighborhoods like Songdo and Haedo-dong but also in areas further away, including Heunghae-eup. “Suddenly, there was a loud ‘bang,’ and I felt the house shake,” said a resident of Songdo-dong. Police and fire authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire and assess the full extent of the damage.
