Two Containers of Oranges Ignite in S. Korean Ports

On 4 March, in South Korea's Changwon province, two refrigerated containers filled with oranges imported from the US caught fire in two distinct incidents at local ports.

The oranges were treated with pesticide as a standard part of the quarantine and disinfection process for imported agricultural goods.

The first blaze was reported at approximately 10:48 am (local time) at Youngwon New Port, where smoke was observed emanating from one of the containers. Despite immediate attempts by port personnel to control the fire, it rapidly grew, engulfing the container.

A team of twenty-nine firefighters battled the fire for close to two hours before finally extinguishing it, resulting in the destruction of the container and its contents, comprising 978 boxes of oranges. The financial toll of this incident was estimated at 50 million South Korean Won (approximately $37,494).

On the same day, Changwon's fire department reported another incident where a fire broke out in a container at a warehouse in a different port within the province, affecting 500 boxes of imported oranges. The damage from this second fire was estimated at 26 million Won (around $19,492).

Initial suspicions pointed to an electrical short circuit in the containers' ventilation systems as the cause of the fires.

However, subsequent investigations have led to the belief that the use of ethyl formate, a highly flammable pesticide commonly applied during quarantine procedures, could have accelerated the spread of the fires.