Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze at a paint factory in Samsan-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan, on Monday morning. [Provided by Ulsan City]
Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze at a paint factory in Samsan-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan, on Monday morning. [Provided by Ulsan City]

A fire broke out Monday morning at a paint factory in Samsan-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan, killing a woman in her 60s and injuring four others, including a man in his 60s who suffered serious injuries. The fire was reported at around 8:20 a.m.

The Ulsan fire department immediately issued a Level 1 emergency response and deployed personnel and equipment to the scene, bringing the main blaze under control by around 8:58 a.m. — 38 minutes after the fire broke out.

The fire spread to a nearby studio apartment building, prompting residents to evacuate. Thick black smoke blanketed the surrounding downtown area, and Jung-gu sent a text alert urging residents to move to safety if they noticed any unusual signs.

Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-uk visited the scene immediately after the fire broke out and convened an emergency meeting of senior city officials at 11 a.m. in the situation room on the seventh floor of City Hall to coordinate the response.

The fire department said it would investigate the exact cause of the fire and the full extent of the damage after finishing work to extinguish any remaining embers.


cityblue@heraldcorp.com