Firefighters fully extinguished a fire at the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) warehouse in the South Korean port city of Busan on Friday, Oct. 25. The fire burned for nearly 19 hours, according to local officials, and no injuries were reported.
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The blaze broke out around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, at the USFK facility, located about 320 kilometers (199 miles) southeast of Seoul.
Firefighters managed to bring the major flames under control by early Friday morning and lifted the emergency fire response system at 7:34 a.m. The fire was fully extinguished by 1:34 p.m., the Busan Metropolitan City Fire Disaster Headquarters stated.
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Over 160 personnel and 51 pieces of fire equipment were mobilized to the site. Officials reported that the fire started in a cold storage area inside the warehouse, which was under construction.
An official from U.S. Army Garrison Daegu told Yonhap News Agency that the warehouse was empty due to ongoing renovations.
The U.S. Army received no reports of hazardous material leaks resulting from the fire. The official also confirmed that no South Korean workers were present when the fire began, and the Army had no plans to investigate local employees.
According to the Status of Forces Agreement between South Korea and the United States, the U.S. Army maintains jurisdiction over investigations at its military facilities.
The USFK and local firefighting authorities said they would jointly investigate the cause of the fire, though they would not release the investigation’s results to the public under a relevant treaty.
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Firefighters reported that the building’s sandwich panel structures and significant stock of construction and combustible materials posed difficulties in extinguishing the flames.
The warehouse manages distribution of USFK equipment brought through Busan’s port to units stationed across South Korea.
[Jack Aylmer]
AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDERWAY INTO THE CAUSE OF A MASSIVE FIRE AT A U.S. MILITARY BASE IN SOUTH KOREA.
THE FIRE BROKE OUT AROUND 6:30 P.M. LOCAL TIME ON THURSDAY AT THE BUSAN NAVAL BASE, A KEY LOGISTICS SITE FOR U.S. MILITARY OPERATIONS IN THE REGION.
SOCIAL MEDIA FOOTAGE SHOWS HUGE PLUMES OF BLACK SMOKE CONSUMING THE BASE, MAKING IT VISIBLE FROM FAR AWAY.
LOCAL AUTHORITIES SENT OUT A SAFETY ALERT, WARNING RESIDENTS NEARBY TO CLOSE WINDOWS.
ACCORDING TO THE YONHAP NEWS, THE FIRE HAS BEEN COMPLETELY EXTINGUISHED.
IT TOOK NEARLY 19 HOURS WITH FIREFIGHTERS FINALLY DECLARING THE FIRE UNDER CONTROL AT 1:34 P-M FRIDAY.
THE BUSAN NAVAL BASE PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN JOINT OPERATIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND SOUTH KOREA, SUPPORTING UP TO 30 VESSELS, INCLUDING U.S. NIMITZ-CLASS AIRCRAFT CARRIERS AND SOUTH KOREAN AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIPS.
A TOTAL OF 160 FIREFIGHTERS AND 51 PIECES OF EQUIPMENT WERE DISPATCHED TO TACKLE THE FLAMES.
AN OFFICIAL EXPLAINED THAT WITH A LARGE AMOUNT OF MILITARY SUPPLIES ON SITE, THERE WAS A MAJOR EFFORT TO KEEP THE FLAMES FROM REACHING ADJACENT WAREHOUSES.
OFFICIALS SAY THE FIRE ORIGINATED IN A COLD STORAGE AREA INSIDE A WAREHOUSE, WHICH WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT THE TIME.
THE U.S. ARMY ALSO ANNOUNCED THERE ARE NO PLANS TO INVESTIGATE WORKERS, CITING NO ONE WAS ON SITE.
NO INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR DEVELOPMENTS AND BRING YOU UPDATES AS THEY COME IN.
YOU CAN CHECK IT OUT WHEN YOU DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS .
FOR SAN, I’M JACK AYLMER
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