At POSCO’s Pohang Steelworks, frequent accidents, including recent fires, have been causing concern among Pohang residents in Gyeongsangbuk-do.
According to the Gyeongbuk Fire Department and POSCO, an explosion accompanied by a fire occurred at Pohang Steelworks’ 3rd FINEX plant in the Nam-gu area of Pohang City at 4:20 AM today (10th). The fire authorities managed to extinguish the initial blaze in 2 hours and 10 minutes; however, one person suffered burns and is currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
Although the response time was relatively short, the plant’s height of approximately 50 meters and strong flames initially made it difficult for fire authorities to approach the site. The explosion during the fire shook buildings in Haedo-dong and Songdo-dong, located across from the Hyeongsan River, causing many residents to feel anxious.
There have been a series of fires at the Pohang Steelworks recently. On January 26, a fire broke out in a communication line in the sintering area, which was extinguished in about 10 minutes. On February 15, there was a fire at the coal transfer facility, and on February 29, a fire occurred in a conveyor belt used for transporting raw materials.
On December 21 last year, there was a fire in a conveyor belt that transported iron ore from a silo, which is used as a raw material storage facility. On April 27 last year, a fire occurred in a conveyor belt near the 3rd FINEX plant for raw material transportation, and on the 18th of the same month, a fire broke out in the COG (Coke Oven Gas) booster device, an auxiliary facility near the 3rd blast furnace.
Additionally, on December 23 last year, a fire occurred in the wires around the 2nd blast furnace, causing a power outage and temporarily halting the operation of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th blast furnaces. When equipment operation was temporarily halted, POSCO performed a so-called “blowing-off operation,” releasing by-product gas generated in the production process because of the raised risk of explosion due to higher by-product gas concentrations.
However, during this process, black smoke engulfed the area around the plant, and flames erupted from chimneys, leading to a flood of reports from anxious citizens. On August 31, black smoke was released due to equipment malfunction in the 4th blast furnace, and on this day (10th) last October, a blowing-off operation in the 2nd coke plant was mistaken for a fire, leading to reports.
One resident from Songdo-dong remarked, “I felt a ‘boom’ vibration early this morning, enough to think it was an earthquake. I can’t express how anxious it makes me feel.” Another resident from Hwanyeo-dong stated, “It’s worrisome as someone living in Pohang because fires occur frequently enough for them to be forgotten at Pohang Steelworks.”