Criticism is mounting that a fire-vulnerable work environment and building structure amplified the devastation from a factory fire in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, that killed and injured dozens. Experts say casualties could have been reduced had safety measures suited to a facility handling flammable materials been implemented and illegal building extensions inspected in advance.
According to the National Fire Agency and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the fire that broke out at approximately 1:17 p.m. on the 20th at "Anjeon Gongeop," an auto parts manufacturing plant in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, was fully extinguished at 11:48 p.m. — roughly 10 hours and 30 minutes later. Fire authorities issued a Level 1 response nine minutes after the initial report at 1:26 p.m., upgrading to Level 2 seven minutes later, but the blaze proved difficult to contain. Fourteen workers who had lost contact were found dead, and a total of 74 people were casualties, including 25 seriously injured — among them firefighters.
Analysts say the scale of the disaster resulted from a combination of factors: the chemical-handling nature of the plant, its prefabricated building structure, and illegal construction additions. The rapid spread of flames compounded by collapse risks delayed firefighting and rescue operations, leading to mass casualties.
Fire authorities believe the plant's inherently flammable environment worsened the damage. The factory primarily used cutting oil in its machining processes. Grease residue and sludge from these operations had accumulated on ceilings and piping, creating conditions that allowed fire starting on the first floor to spread almost instantly to the second and third floors.
Lee Young-ju, a professor of fire and disaster prevention at Kyungil University, said, "Factories handling chemical substances often work with oils, gases, and petroleum-based materials that have low flash points and high ignition risk at elevated temperatures, making fire hazards relatively greater." Data bears this out. According to the National Fire Data System, casualties per factory fire last year averaged 0.09 for all factories but reached 0.25 for chemical plants — roughly three times higher.
The presence of highly explosive metallic sodium stored inside the plant was another aggravating factor. Sodium is commonly used as a coolant in metal smelting for auto parts and is a "water-reactive" chemical that explodes on contact with water. This constrained the use of large volumes of water in the fire's early stages and caused delays in relocating the sodium to a safe area. For the same reason, the factory reportedly had no sprinklers installed. Notably, the Daejeon Daedeok Fire Station had notified the factory of violations of the Hazardous Materials Safety Management Act roughly one month before the fire.
The so-called "sandwich panel" construction — using highly flammable Styrofoam as an interior material — was also identified as a problem. Kong Ha-sung, a professor of fire and disaster prevention at Woosuk University, said, "The internal Styrofoam in sandwich panels acts as kindling, and the steel-frame structure carries significant collapse risk. When temperatures reach 800 degrees Celsius, structural components can melt, disrupting search and firefighting operations." The government tightened relevant regulations in 2022, mandating the use of "semi-noncombustible" materials capable of withstanding fire above a certain level. However, the rules were not applied retroactively to previously completed facilities, effectively leaving Anjeon Gongeop in a regulatory blind spot.
Illegal building additions also amplified the toll. Nine of the 14 fatalities were found in a mezzanine-level fitness room that did not appear on the building's architectural plans. A Daedeok-gu district office official explained, "The mezzanine space and intermediate staircase were unauthorized. It appears a 5.5-meter-high space adjacent to the parking area was divided to create an intermediate floor used as a break room and fitness area."
The space had small windows and narrow passages, making evacuation extremely difficult as smoke spread rapidly. Given that the fire broke out during the lunch hour, workers resting in the area may have been slow to notice the blaze. Professor Kong noted, "Illegally added spaces carry no obligation to secure evacuation routes and make it difficult to ascertain the building's layout, creating obstacles for rescue operations." Ultimately, the local government appears unlikely to escape criticism for failing to manage and supervise the illegal additions in advance.
