POSCO Pohang Steelworks had a big fire...First stage of response is issued.

[Anchor]
A big fire broke out at POSCO Pohang Steelworks in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do early today (10th).

Fire authorities have issued the first stage of response and started extinguishing it, and one person has been found to have been injured so far.

I'm connecting to the Ministry of Social Affairs, reporter Son Hyo-jung!

Please tell me about the fire extinguishing situation.

[Reporter]
Yes, a fire was reported to the fire authorities at 4:20 a.m. this morning at POSCO Pohang Steelworks in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.

There were a series of related reports on YTN.

If you look at the report screen taken of the POSCO factory, you can see the smoke rising with red lights around the factory.

Nearby residents told YTN that they heard loud explosions several times at the time, and we will listen to it for ourselves.

[Seo Jae-min/Posco Fire Witness: I heard explosions five or six times, so I woke up and saw that there was a lot of fire. The explosion was loud, so I think it was a little louder than the sound of thunder.]

[Posco Fire Witness] I woke up when I heard an explosion while I was sleeping. I thought there was an earthquake. So I looked at it, at first, flames were rising and smoke was rising. It will take about 30 minutes by car (to the fire).]

Within 30 minutes of receiving the report, the fire department issued the first stage of response to mobilize all the personnel of the competent fire department.

The fire is believed to have started at the "3 Finex plant" in Pohang Steelworks.

The FINEX plant is a facility that produces molten metal like a furnace, but the specific details of the fire and the extent of the damage have not yet been determined.

So far, it has been confirmed that one employee in the factory has been injured by the fire.

He was taken to the hospital with burns of about 1 to 2 degrees on his face and hands.

More than 10 employees near the fire were also found to have been evacuated, and further confirmation of casualties is needed.

An informant said that even though it was 10km away from POSCO, he felt the vibration of the window shaking.

However, it is not yet known whether the explosion occurred inside the factory or how the fire started.

Fire authorities are working to extinguish the fire while maintaining the first stage of response, and there is a possibility that the response stage will go up depending on the situation on the site.

So far, the Ministry of Social Affairs has informed you.