A fire at an auto parts factory in South Korea's central city of Daejeon injured at least 53 people on Friday, with authorities warning the casualty count could rise as search operations continue.

Fire Chief Nam Deuk-woo of Daejeon's Daedeok district reported that 24 of the injured were seriously hurt, though officials could not immediately confirm whether any were in life-threatening condition. Authorities are searching for at least 14 people believed to have been inside the facility when the blaze erupted.

The fire was reported at approximately 1:17 p.m., with witnesses reportedly hearing an explosion as the blaze spread rapidly through the complex. Video from the scene showed thick gray smoke billowing from the facility. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Some victims were injured while jumping from the building during escape attempts, while others suffered from smoke inhalation, according to Nam. The fire destroyed a factory building that firefighters could not enter due to structural collapse concerns. Emergency crews focused their efforts on preventing the fire from spreading to an adjacent facility and removing chemicals from the site.

More than 250 firefighters, police and emergency personnel were deployed to the scene, along with approximately 100 vehicles and equipment. Police were using mobile phone signals to track the 14 people still unaccounted for.

President Lee Jae Myung called for the full mobilization of personnel and equipment to contain the fire and support rescue operations as emergency crews continued their response to the industrial accident.