October 5, 2026
A recent fire at an AI data center in Seoul, South Korea, has raised renewed attention to electrical safety in UPS rooms and other critical power areas.
The fire occurred on September 29 at a data center in Gasan-dong, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul. According to local reports citing the Geumcheon Fire Department, 105 people evacuated the building and no casualties were reported.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze at approximately 3:13 p.m., about three hours after the incident began.
Fire Reported in UPS Room Transformer
Preliminary information from the fire department indicated that the fire was believed to have started due to an electrical issue involving a molded transformer located inside the UPS A room on the sixth floor.
The incident reportedly caused approximately KRW 200 million in property damage, including damage to the transformer and the UPS room.
However, the investigation was still ongoing at the time of reporting. Authorities were examining the operation of the facility's fire protection systems and planned a joint site inspection with the transformer manufacturer.
The available information therefore does not establish that the UPS itself caused the fire.
A UPS Room Is a Complete Electrical System
For data centers, hospitals, industrial facilities, and other critical applications, UPS room safety involves much more than the UPS equipment itself.
A typical critical power system may include transformers, UPS units, battery systems, AC and DC switchgear, maintenance bypass circuits, cables, protection devices, monitoring systems, and cooling equipment.
A problem at any point in this electrical chain can affect system availability.
For facility operators, several areas deserve regular attention:
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Transformer and cable connection temperatures
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Signs of loose or deteriorated high-current connections
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Battery temperature and condition
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Ventilation and equipment operating temperature
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Circuit breaker and protection coordination
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Grounding and insulation condition
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Maintenance bypass operation
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Abnormal alarms recorded by the UPS or monitoring system
Thermal imaging can also help identify abnormal heating at transformers, busbars, cable terminals, circuit breakers, and other high-current connection points during preventive maintenance.
Critical Power Reliability Goes Beyond the UPS
UPS capacity, efficiency, redundancy, and battery runtime are important when designing a data center power system. But long-term reliability also depends on installation quality, protection design, room conditions, monitoring, and preventive maintenance.
The Seoul incident provides a useful reminder for critical facilities: the UPS should not be treated as an isolated piece of equipment. The complete power path—from utility input and transformers to UPS systems, batteries, bypass circuits, and downstream distribution—needs to be considered as one system.
TAFENG Power supplies UPS and critical power solutions for data centers, industrial facilities, medical equipment, and other applications.
For projects requiring high-capacity online power protection, see our Low Frequency UPS solutions.
Sources: News1 Korea; YTN; Data Center Dynamics
Original incident: September 29, 2026
Last updated: October 5, 2026
Editor's note: The cause of the fire remained under investigation at the time of publication. References to the transformer and electrical factors are based on preliminary information from local fire authorities and should not be interpreted as a final determination of the cause.
