Early in the morning, a fire broke out at the Battery Research Building in Uiwang, a key research hub of Hyundai Motor Group. However, thanks to the rapid response of firefighting authorities, the fire was extinguished in approximately 3 hours after ignition, and there were no casualties.
A fire occurred at the Hyundai Motor Battery Research Building within Hyundai Motor Group's Uiwang Research Institute, located in Samdonng, Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi Province, at 12:48 a.m. on July 28, 2026, alarming firefighting authorities and nearby residents. Although the fire occurred in a large research facility measuring 8 stories above ground and covering approximately 33,000 square meters, it was completely extinguished in about 3 hours with swift response efforts and no casualties.
The point of ignition was identified as a waste storage room (approximately 10 square meters) on the first floor of the building. The storage room was found to contain discarded automobile battery parts and other materials. Firefighting authorities determined that there was a significant risk of fire spreading and immediately issued a Level 1 response, mobilizing 37 pieces of equipment and 111 personnel for extinguishing efforts.
After overnight extinguishing operations, the main fire was brought under control at approximately 3:10 a.m., and the response level was lifted at 3:14 a.m. The fire was completely extinguished at approximately 3:31 a.m., about 3 hours after the fire broke out. Fortunately, employees at the research building evacuated quickly on their own, resulting in no casualties. The fire also did not spread outside the ignition site or to upper floors of the building, preventing a major accident.