Several Dead in Fire at South Korean Lithium Battery Plant

A devastating fire erupted at the Aricell factory in Hwaseong city, South Korea, following a series of lithium battery explosions.
The factory located kilometers south of Seoul, which engulfed in flames, occurred on Monday morning and resulted in at least 16 fatalities and left seven others injured.
Hwaseong’s medical authority, Sim Jung-sik, confirmed the death toll, while local fire official Kim Jin-young explained that the fire started due to exploding battery cells, although the exact cause of the initial explosions remains unknown.
The factory’s second floor housed around 35,000 battery cells, used for inspection and packaging, with additional storage elsewhere on the premises and approximately 100 workers were present at the time of the fire.