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| ▲ Firefighters put out the remaining fire at a U.S. Forces Korea warehouse in the southeastern port city of Busan on Oct. 25, 2024. (Yonhap) |
(3rd LD) USFK warehouse-fire
(3rd LD) Fire put out at USFK warehouse in Busan; no casualties reported
(ATTN: ADDS response from the U.S. Army in paras 6-8)
BUSAN, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- A fire at a U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) warehouse in the southeastern port city of Busan was completely extinguished, with no casualties reported, officials said Friday.
The Busan Metropolitan City Fire Disaster Headquarters said the fire was entirely put out at 1:34 p.m., nearly 19 hours after it first erupted at the USFK's facility in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 6:31 p.m. Thursday.
The fire response system was lifted at 7:34 a.m., shortly after firefighters brought the major flames under control.
Firefighters mobilized over 160 personnel and 51 pieces of fire equipment to the scene to put out the fire.
The blaze reportedly started at a cold storage facility inside the warehouse, which was under construction, according to officials.
An official from U.S. Army Garrison Daegu told Yonhap News Agency that the warehouse was empty at the time due to renovations and the U.S. Army has not received any reports of hazardous material leaks resulting from the fire.
The U.S. Army also said that it has no plans to investigate South Korean workers as they were not present when the fire broke out.
Under the Status of Forces Agreement between the two countries, the U.S. Army holds jurisdiction over investigations at its military facilities.
The USFK and the local firefighting authorities plan to look into the cause of the fire together, but the results of the investigation will not be opened to the public under a relevant treaty.
Firefighters had a difficult time trying to put out the fire as the warehouse had sandwich panel structures and a trove of construction and combustible materials inside.
The warehouse was in charge of distributing the USFK's equipment brought in through the Busan port to units stationed nationwide.
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