Smoke rises from a fire at a complex building in Bundang's Yatap-dong in Gyeonggi Province, Friday. (Yonhap)
Smoke rises from a fire at a complex building in Bundang's Yatap-dong in Gyeonggi Province, Friday. (Yonhap)

A fire broke out in a multipurpose commercial building in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, Friday afternoon, leaving 12 people injured who were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment, according to fire authorities. The injuries, primarily caused by smoke inhalation, were mostly classified as minor, they said.

There were 70 to 80 people who sought refuge atop the building on the rooftop. They were to be guided to the ground floor once the smoke clears sufficiently, fire authorities said. Meanwhile, around 30 individuals who had been trapped in the basement were rescued, they added.

With the fire mostly under control, rescue operations were ongoing inside the building.

No casualties have been reported so far. Approximately 40 people were rescued by emergency services, while an additional 50 individuals evacuated the building on their own when the fire broke out.

Earlier reports indicated that many individuals had become trapped inside the building.

According to fire authorities, the blaze started in the kitchen of a restaurant on the first floor of the eight-story building, which also has five basement levels. Emergency services received a call about the fire at 4:37 p.m.

Authorities issued a Level 2 firefighting response at 4:43 p.m. This level of response involves mobilizing equipment and personnel from eight to 14 fire stations, with 51 to 80 fire service forces. Forty-one fire engines and 103 firefighters were dispatched to the scene.

The initial fire was brought under control and the response level was downgraded to Level 1 by 5:18 p.m.