Blaze at Hwaseong pharmaceutical plant kills 1, injures 4

Smoke billows from a factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, on Friday. [YONHAP]

An explosion at a pharmaceutical plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, caused a fire Friday afternoon, killing one worker and injuring four others.

Kosdaq-listed Hwail Pharm operates the plant.

The local fire department received a report about an explosion from the factory Friday and dispatched more than 40 pieces of equipment and 80 firefighters to the scene. It is currently working to extinguish the fire. A level 1 response was issued at 2:49 p.m.

A number of people were rescued from the structure, and minor injuries were reported.

The building has a total floor area of 2,700 square meters (29,000 square feet), with five floors above ground and a basement floor. The fire is reported to have started on the third floor.

Smoke on the second and third floors of the building is making it difficult for firefighters to enter, according to the fire department.

The exact cause of the fire has not been determined.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]