"Gas is leaking and spreading into town"....LPG charging station in Pyeongchang explodes, residents evacuate urgently

An explosion occurred at a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) charging station in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province on the evening of the 1st, the first day of the new year, and five people were seriously injured. The radius of the explosion damage reached 300 meters. In particular, it was recognized by the fire authorities that gas was leaking from the charging station, but it was reported that it led to an explosion before the site was controlled.

According to the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Fire Headquarters and multiple media reports on the 2nd, a fire broke out at 8:41 p.m. the previous day at an LPG filling station in Jangpyeong-ri, Yongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, and was extinguished in about three hours.

A 36-year-old man and a 63-year-old man were taken to a hospital due to burns all over their bodies. Currently, neither man is believed to be life-threatening. In addition, three people were treated as minor injuries, including a 40-year-old man C and a 70-year-old man D, respectively, who had minor injuries to their hands and head, and a 57-year-old man E, who also suffered burns to his forehead.

Before and after the explosion, fire authorities and police reported that "there was a lot of gas leaking into the LPG charging station," "The gas is spreading to the village under the floor," "It seems that there was an explosion after passing through the Pyeongchang Interchange," and "I heard an explosion at the charging station."

A witness at the explosion site said, "There was a gas leak near Pyeongchang Interchange, so while controlling the road with firefighters, an explosion suddenly shook the ground at the charging station."

When looking at the scene at the time of the accident, smoke estimated to be gas was covered in a radius of about 20 meters on the floor so that it could be clearly seen with the naked eye.

F (63), who lives about 4km away from the charging station, said, "I was at home and I felt a little vibration, so I got a disaster text message right away. I went to the charging station thinking what happened, and I heard a series of gas cylinders exploding."

Immediately after the explosion, Pyeongchang sent a disaster message to residents, urging them to evacuate to a safe place and detour vehicles. The 25 residents were evacuated by dividing them into Baekokpo-ri Village Hall and Jangpyeong 2-ri Village Hall.

The fire authorities put 117 crew members and 58 equipment in to put out a large blaze at the site of the explosion in about two hours and completely extinguished the blaze at 11:59 p.m. the previous day. After the explosion, all the embers that spread to car wash, houses and agricultural equipment centers around the charging station were extinguished.

The military and fire authorities estimated that 14 buildings including houses and 14 vehicles were damaged by the fire. The police and fire authorities will check the exact extent of the damage and investigate the exact cause of the explosion with the National Forensic Service and the Korea Gas Safety Corporation.

Date: 2024-01-02

Reporter: 서화목