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Battery materials plant catches fire leaving one trapped inside

Published: 21 Jan. 2022, 17:43

Black smoke rises from battery maker EcoPro BM's plant in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, on Friday. [YONHAP]

A battery materials manufacturer plant in Cheongju caught fire on Friday afternoon, leaving one person trapped inside. The facility belongs to EcoPro BM, which had the largest market capitalization stock on the Kosdaq until Friday afternoon.

According to related authorities, the factory in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, caught fire at around 3 p.m. Friday. Of the four people inside, one escaped on their own while two others were rescued. The fourth is believed to be trapped inside the building.

Authorities think an explosion sparked the fire, but the exact cause is not yet known.

Fire officials dispatched 105 firefighters and 33 trucks to the site to extinguish the fire and rescue those inside.

However, heavy smoke is causing difficulties.

EcoPro BM is a Korean secondary battery cathode manufacturer, which became the largest company on the Kosdaq market after its market capitalization swelled to 10.05 trillion won ($8.4 billion) on Tuesday, beating the former No. 1 Celltrion Healthcare.

Since the fire, the value of its shares have dropped.

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]