Investigators in South Korea are still looking into the cause of a fire that killed 23 people at a battery factory earlier this week. The fire is an example of a new kind of disaster that’s concerning authorities in the region and around the world.
Battery fires are dangerously different from a usual factory blaze because they can't simply be put out with water. In fact, depending on the composition of the chemicals, water can actually make the fires worse. Battery fires are fought with sand or a special kind of extinguisher.
Neither of those were available during this week's tragic fire at a lithium battery plant in Hwaseong, an industrial city about 30 miles south of Seoul.
A Wednesday editorial in the Chosun Ilbo noted that, quote, “while the battery industry has rapidly advanced, fire preparedness remains practically non-existent.”
The fire is also underlining another issue in South Korea: the use of foreign workers — sometimes illegal, and often in dangerous factory conditions. The Joong Ang Daily reported that at least 18 of the 23 people killed in the fire were from outside South Korea, mostly from China, and were working illegally.
The small battery maker denies that allegation.
According to the Labor Ministry, foreign workers make up about 3% of those employed in South Korea.
But according to a study in the Journal of Korea Safety Management and Science, they account for more than 11% of industrial fatalities.
