[News Today] ANOTHER FIRE AT POSCO PLANT

[LEAD]
Another fire erupted at POSCO Pohang Steelworks, just two weeks after a previous major blaze. Fires have recurred every two to three months since last year, sparking concerns over safety management. Amid growing unease, local citizens are considering a class-action lawsuit.

[REPORT]
Gray smoke rises up the pitch black sky.

A fire broke out at POSCO Pohang Steelworks's third Finex furnace at around 11:20 p.m. on Sunday.

It was the same factory that previously caught fire on November 10.

The blaze was put out after 2 hours with no casualties reported, but the plant had to halt operations again.

It earlier stopped producing molten metal due to the fire two weeks ago and was on a trial operation since last Tuesday.

Fire authorities suspect the latest blaze resulted from damage to the external layer of a smelting furnace tower during a test run.

Oh Jin-wook / Pohang Nambu Fire Station
Removing hardened coke to find traces of the damaged skin is risky due to lingering heat from molten metal.

Since last April, eight fire incidents occurred at Pohang steelworks in a frequency of about one in every two to three months.

POSCO explained there's constant risk of fire as many work sites deal with high heat and the entire area is double the size of Seoul's Yeouido district.

But as frequent fires raise anxiety, local civic groups have warned of a class action compensation suit.

Kim Seok-hoon / Co-chair, Pohang Participatory Alliance
The company hasn’t acted when they should, so we’re forming basic rules, planning a lawsuit with 100 people.

POSCO has vowed to draft measures to prevent a recurrence but controversy over its safety management is not dying down.