A fire broke out in the early hours of the 28th at a mushroom farm in Jinju, Gyeongnam, South Korea, prompting an extended emergency response from firefighting authorities.
According to the Fire Headquarters, a report was received at around 12:13 a.m. indicating that a fire had started at a mushroom farm in Jeongjari, Geumgok-myeon, Jinju City. Firefighters initially responded under Response Level 1, which includes dispatching all personnel from the responsible fire station.
As the fire spread, authorities escalated the response to Level 2 at 12:43 a.m., mobilising personnel and equipment from five to six neighbouring fire stations. In total, 97 personnel, including firefighters and police officers, and 35 units of equipment, including fire engines, were deployed to the site.
© Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters
After fire suppression efforts progressed, the response level was reduced back to Level 1 at 1:17 a.m., before being fully lifted at 2:34 a.m. Major flames were brought under control by approximately 4:20 a.m. Fire crews then continued operations to extinguish remaining hotspots.
Excavators were used to overturn debris and remove residual embers as part of the final containment process. The fire was fully extinguished at around 7:16 a.m., roughly seven hours after it was first reported.
No injuries or fatalities were reported. However, two buildings were damaged by the fire, including a mushroom cultivation facility covering approximately 1,700 square metres. Authorities estimate that around 5 tons of oyster mushrooms being cultivated at the site were either destroyed or rendered unsaleable.
Police and fire officials have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire and the total extent of the damage. Preliminary assessments indicate that the fire may have originated between two mushroom cultivation facilities on the site.
The incident highlights the vulnerability of indoor cultivation facilities to fire risk, particularly where large-scale production infrastructure is concentrated in enclosed structures.
Source: The Chosun Daily
