A furnace at POSCO's steel mill in southeastern South Korea caught fire after an apparent explosion on Friday and firefighters were trying to extinguish it, fire officials said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries in the fire that broke out around 8:10 p.m. at the Finex furnace at the mill in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, about 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul, they said.

A local police officer said an explosion at the furnace appeared to have caused the fire.

Fire officials said the blaze spread over the outer wall of the furnace, making it difficult for firefighters to get closer to the scene.

(Yonhap News)