[Anchor]

A massive fire broke out at a cosmetics factory in Geomdan-gu, Incheon, last night (September 23). While no one was injured, thick, pungent smoke was carried by the wind as far as Gwanak-gu in Seoul.

Reporter Choi Seung-hun has the details.

[Reporter]

Amid thick smoke billowing from the building, firefighters aboard an aerial ladder truck continuously spray streams of water.

The fire broke out at around 9:45 PM yesterday at a cosmetics manufacturing plant in Oryu-dong, Geomdan-gu, Incheon.

The flames spread rapidly across the factory, which has a total floor area of approximately 5,700 square meters. The fire authorities issued a Level 1 response—mobilizing all personnel from the regional fire station—about 30 minutes after the fire started.

A total of 96 personnel, including firefighters, and 52 pieces of equipment were deployed, bringing the major flames under control in about three hours at around 12:49 AM today.

Although there were no casualties, black smoke and a burning odor were carried by the wind to southwestern areas of Seoul, including Gangseo-gu and Gwanak-gu.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government sent out emergency text messages urging residents to keep their windows closed and exercise caution for their safety.

Fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire and the scale of the damage once the cleanup of remaining embers is completed.

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Earlier, at around 8:13 PM yesterday, a 1-ton truck crashed into a tractor traveling ahead of it on a national highway in Joseong-myeon, Boseong-gun, Jeollanam-do.

Subsequently, an SUV following behind failed to notice the stopped accident truck and crashed into it again.

The accident resulted in the death of the 50-year-old male driver of the truck, while five people aboard the tractor and the SUV sustained injuries.

Investigations revealed that the deceased truck driver had been driving without a license, which had been revoked following a drunk driving offense in 2018.

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Around 6:00 PM yesterday, a fire also broke out at a house in Chilbo-myeon, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, completely destroying one residential building.

As the resident was out at the time, there were no casualties, but the fire caused property damage estimated by the fire department at 32 million won.

(Video editing: Park Ji-in | Footage provided by: Incheon Fire Headquarters, Jeonnam Fire Headquarters, Jeongeup Fire Station)