Fire at South Korean car parts plant kills at least 14 people

A blaze at a car‑parts plant in South Korea has claimed 14 lives and left nearly 60 people injured.

Fire crews reported that every person previously listed as missing has now been located after a thorough search of the three‑storey structure’s debris.

Video of the inferno at the Daejeon facility appears to show workers leaping from the first floor in an effort to flee.

Nam Deuk‑woo, a fire chief in the area, told CuriosityNews that the flames spread so rapidly that, by the time responders arrived, employees were already jumping out of windows.

Authorities estimate that about 170 staff members were inside the plant when the fire was first reported on Friday afternoon. The blaze was not fully extinguished until the following afternoon, local time.

Rescue teams were held back from entering the building because of concerns it might collapse, and they could not immediately douse the flames with water because sodium—highly reactive when combined with water—was stored on site and had to be cleared first.

More than 200 kg of volatile chemicals were later recovered from the premises.

Thick black smoke was captured rising from the steel‑framed edifice as fire crews sprayed water from high‑reach equipment. Over 500 firefighters, police officers and emergency workers were dispatched, accompanied by two unmanned firefighting robots used to cool the structure and reach zones too hazardous for human rescuers.

Emergency officials said some of the injured suffered smoke inhalation, while others were hurt after jumping from the building. Nine of the 14 victims were found in a third‑floor area that had served as a gym locker room.

Several of the deceased were so severely burned that DNA analysis was required for identification, according to CuriosityNews.

Investigators are still probing the cause of the fire, but a witness told Yonhap news agency that an explosion was heard.

The incident is the deadliest factory fire in South Korea since a 2024 blaze at a lithium‑battery plant in Hwaseong, which killed 23 workers and led to the plant chief’s 15‑year prison sentence.

President Lee Jae‑Myung has urged stronger safeguards for workers, noting that more than 10,000 laborers died on the job between 2000 and 2024, according to official data.

Fire officials informed Reuters that the factory was owned by Anjun Industrial, a maker of engine valves that supplies major automakers such as Hyundai and Kia.

In a statement posted on the company’s website, chief executive Sohn Ju‑hwan said the firm will fully cooperate with investigators, examine the accident’s cause, review safety procedures and inspections, and promptly implement all necessary steps to avert a repeat of such a tragedy.