Kumho Tire plant fire in Gwangju fully extinguished after 77 hours

A fire that broke out at the Kumho Tire plant in Gwangju on Saturday morning was fully extinguished by noon on Tuesday, four days later.

The Gwangju Gwangsan Fire Station declared the blaze completely out at noon, 77 hours after it began. 

Fire authorities deployed firefighters into the factory building in the morning to eliminate smoldering embers that had weakened over time.  

To prevent flare-ups or lingering smoke, authorities began dismantling the factory’s east building — excluding the original ignition point — at 8 a.m. using specialized heavy equipment.

According to Kumho Tire on Sunday, the Gwangju facility is the oldest of Kumho’s three domestic plants, alongside those in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, and Gokseong, South Jeolla.  

Built in 1974, the Gwangju plant accounted for 46 percent — or about 12 million units — of the company’s 26 million domestically produced tires in 2023.

The facility manufactures an average of 33,000 tires per day, mainly for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles such as trucks and buses. It also produces high-performance Ecsta Sport tires, alongside the Gokseong plant.  

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]