![Smoke rises from a primary battery manufacturing plant hit by a fire in Hwaseong south of Seoul on June 24 2024 in this image taken from a social media site Aju Press](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2024/06/24/20240624152304268227.gif)
Officials fear the casualty count may rise, as an estimated 23 people, including 20 foreign nationals and two Koreans, are believed to be trapped inside the facility.
The blaze started at 10:31 a.m. at a factory operated by Aricell in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
"We expect the number of casualties to increase, as many people remain unaccounted for," a fire department official told reporters at the scene.
![Smoke rises from a primary battery manufacturing plant hit by a fire in Hwaseong south of Seoul on June 24 2024 in this image taken from a social media site Aju Press](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2024/06/24/20240624151853463151.gif)
A witness claimed explosive combustion occurred in a battery cell during the fire.
The three-story concrete building houses operations for manufacturing primary batteries using lithium.
The fire department mobilized 145 personnel and 50 pieces of equipment, including fire engines. Firefighting efforts have been complicated by the presence of hazardous chemicals such as lithium, officials said.
![Smoke rises from a primary battery manufacturing plant hit by a fire in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, on June 24, 2024. Yonhap](https://image.ajunews.com/content/image/2024/06/24/20240624150139673000.jpg)