Lithium-ion ESS warehouse fire at Cheongwon Buyong Agro-Industrial Complex, Sejong, South Korea
July 2018Published 11 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Battery storage warehouse, Cheongwon Buyong Agro-Industrial Complex, Sejong
- Manufacturer
- Samsung SDI
- What
- Fire broke out at 08:31 on 28 July 2018
- Injuries
- None reported
- Response
- 60 firefighters with 23 vehicles fought fire for seven hours
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Samsung SDI
What happened
A fire broke out at around 08:31 on 28 July 2018 in a battery storage warehouse attached to a paper production factory in the Cheongwon Buyong Agro-Industrial Complex, Bugang-myeon, Sejong, South Korea. The warehouse held roughly 2,000 lithium-ion battery packs, each weighing 57 kg, manufactured by Samsung SDI, used in a large energy storage system (ESS) that stored power overnight for use during peak daytime demand. Flames and yellow smoke, attributed to lithium-ion cells reacting to high heat, made access difficult, and firefighters were also concerned about possible explosion or building collapse.
Around 60 firefighters with 23 vehicles, including a remote-controlled wall-breaching water cannon truck and articulated ladder trucks, fought the fire for about seven hours before it was declared extinguished around 15:30. The warehouse building, covering 840 square metres, was destroyed, but the fire did not spread to the adjoining 150,000 square metre paper factory. No injuries were reported. The cause and financial losses were under investigation at the time of reporting.
Contributing factors
The fire occurred in an enclosed warehouse housing around 2,000 lithium-ion battery packs, which produced heavy smoke and heat that hampered firefighting access. The enclosed structure raised concerns about explosion and collapse, requiring specialised remote firefighting equipment to breach the walls and apply water directly to the source. The system was reported as newly installed at the time of the incident, though the source does not state whether it was still in a commissioning phase.
Lessons learned
- Enclosed lithium-ion battery warehouses produce heavy smoke and heat that block access, so operators must plan for remote-controlled wall-breaching equipment rather than standard hoses.
- Bulk storage of 2000 loose lithium-ion packs in one warehouse allows rapid thermal runaway spread, so sites should install integrated suppression or divide stock into smaller compartments.
- Newly installed ESS battery stores need immediate monitoring because early failures can destroy the building before root cause is known.
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Not yet known
- Exact cause of the fire
- Financial losses or downtime
- Battery pack model, age and installation date
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Published 2026-09-11. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
