Fatal fire kills at least 20 at Aricell lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, South Korea
Fireighters in Hwaseong, South Korea responded about 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 24, 2024 to a report of explosions and fire at an Aricell lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, South Korea. The factory fire killed at least 20 people.
Hwaseong is located in northwest South Korea.
According to CAMEO chemicals, lithium is highly flammable, and is readily ignited by and reacts with most extinguishing agents such as water, carbon dioxide, and carbon tetrachloride.
Lithium reacts with water to form caustic lithium hydroxide and hydrogen gas (H2). Lithium is spontaneously flammable in air if heated to 180°C if the surface of the metal is clean.
Extinguishing recommendations on CAMEO ...
SMALL FIRE: Dry chemical, soda ash, lime or sand.
LARGE FIRE: DRY sand, dry chemical, soda ash or lime or withdraw from area and let fire burn. If it can be done safely, move undamaged containers away from the area around the fire.
FIRE INVOLVING METALS OR POWDERS (ALUMINUM, LITHIUM, MAGNESIUM, ETC.): Use dry chemical, DRY sand, sodium chloride powder, graphite powder or class D extinguishers; in addition, for Lithium you may use Lith-X® powder or copper powder.
At least 16 killed after fire guts South Korea battery plant | Reuters
South Korea: Exploding lithium batteries spark deadly factory fire - BBC
Firefighters find '20 bodies' at S Korea battery fire site: Yonhap - Voice of America
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - LIVE: Battery factory fire in South Korea - YouTube - Reuters
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