![Officials examine the condition of lithium-ion batteries for uninterruptible power supply units at the National Information Resources Service fire site in Daejeon on Sept. 30. [YONHAP]](https://www.koreadailyus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/1002-fire.jpg)
A fire broke out at the Lotte Innovate Data Center (IDC) in Daejeon on the morning of October 2, just days after a separate blaze disrupted the South Korean government’s digital systems nationwide.
The fire started at around 4:59 a.m. at Lotte IDC in Daejeon and was extinguished by 5:38 a.m., authorities from the Daejeon Fire Headquarters and Daejeon Metropolitan Police said. Fire authorities deployed 21 vehicles and 62 personnel to the site.
Officials believe the fire began in the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) module inside the first-floor computer machinery room of the two-story building. They suspect a battery in the UPS module may have caused the blaze, but said a precise determination requires further investigation into possible electrical factors.
Lotte Innovate operates four data centers in Geumcheon District, southern Seoul, Daejeon and Yongin, Gyeonggi. The Daejeon center has been in operation since 2010.
The fire has raised questions about the effectiveness of recent safety checks.
The city of Daejeon and the fire headquarters conducted emergency fire safety inspections at five major local data centers from September 30 to October 1 following the fire at the National Information Resources Service on October 3. The Lotte IDC facility initially underwent inspection, but the fire erupted just a day afterward.
Police and fire authorities plan to question Lotte IDC employees to determine the exact cause of the fire and assess the scale of the damage.
BY SHIN JIN-HO, SON SUNG-BAE [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]
