LARGE FIRE BREAKS OUT AT TIRE FACTORY

[Anchor Lead]

A massive fire broke out at a tire factory in Daejeon on Sunday night prompting authorities to alert the third-stage response system at one stage, the highest level. The fire caused the hospitalization of eleven people, including a firefighter and workers, and so far, the biggest flames have been tamed.

[Pkg]

This tire factory is engulfed in flames that emit clouds of black smoke. With an explosion, a pillar of blaze rises high. Riding on winds, the flames threaten to reach a nearby overpass. The fire broke out at 10:10 p.m. on Sunday at Hankook Tire's plant in Daejeon. It started from the tire molding process and spread to a warehouse storing finished products due to strong winds.

[Soundbite] (Hankook Tire Official) : "The company uses rubber throughout the entire process. So it's hard to say that flammable materials were only used in that part."

The fire agency issued the highest, category-three emergency warning at 2:10 a.m., about four hours after the fire began. It also mobilized firefighters and equipment from nearby regions to put out the fire. After dawn, nine more firefighting helicopters and the Korea Forest Service were deployed. As of 11 a.m., the fire was mostly brought under control and the emergency alert was lowered to category two. Following the fire, some 400 night-shift workers evacuated. But 10 employees inhaled smoke and were moved to a nearby hospital. A firefighter is known to have sustained a leg injury. Currently, there are no additional reports of missing people or serious injuries. Fire authorities plan to identify the exact cause of the fire and scale of damage as soon as the blaze is put out completely.