| Black smoke billows above the Tongil Factory District in Gajwa-dong, Seo-gu in Incheon. / Yonhap |
By Ko Dong-hwan
The fire started around noon at a factory in the Tongil Factory District in Gajwa-dong, Seo-gu. The factory recycles waste oil, alcohol and other chemical liquids.
The fire spread to another eight factories, sending a massive cloud of black smoke into sky.
Vehicles parked near the factories also caught fire.
The sheer scale of the fire called for “all emergency crews and equipment” from the city and from nearby fire stations in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.
About 130 firefighters and more than 60 emergency vehicles ― including water pump trucks, ladder trucks and a helicopter ― were fighting the blaze. Fire authorities announced the highest “Alert 3.”
Fire crews could not get inside the district at first because of fears of poison fumes and/or explosions from chemicals.
About 300 laborers evacuated the area.
As the fire raged on through the afternoon, it was unclear if there were any casualties.