SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A large-scale fire broke out at a waste recycling facility in South Korea on Wednesday, prompting the fire authorities to raise their emergency response to level 2, according to Yonhap news agency.
The blaze began at around 1:58 p.m. local time (0458 GMT) at the recycling plant in Hwaseong, about 45 km southwest of Seoul.
The initial report was made by a facility official who stated that combustible waste materials had caught fire.
The fire authorities initially issued a response level 1 at 2:15 p.m. but upgraded it four minutes later to response level 2, which can mobilize personnel and equipment from neighboring fire stations, due to flammable waste inside the facility that could spread the fire rapidly.
Initially, 67 firefighters and 30 pieces of firefighting equipment were deployed to the scene to battle the blaze.
Nine facility officials, who were inside the plant when the fire started, managed to evacuate on their own.
A woman in her 50s sustained burns to her right arm in the fire. No other casualties were reported so far.
As thick black smoke blanketed the area, the Hwaseong city government issued an emergency text alert to nearby residents, advising them to keep their windows closed and exercise caution.
The fire authorities planned to investigate the exact cause of the fire once the flames are completely extinguished. ■