Andrzej Grygiel/PAP

At least five people have been injured in a blast at a coking plant in southern Poland.

The incident occurred at the Koksownia Przyjazn facility in Dabrowa Gornicza, near Katowice.

“An explosion occurred in the furnace’s coal chamber,” the fire brigade’s press officer, Brig. Karol Kierzowski, told PAP. “As a result of the blast the furnace and part of the hall building were destroyed.”

The injuries sustained were mostly burns, Kierzowski added, explaining that six workers had been in the hall, of whom five suffered wounds and burns, adding that it would probably be necessary to transport the injured workers to a hospital in the nearby town of Siemianowice Slaskie.

A local fire brigade official told PAP six workers had sustained injuries.

Sixty firefighters and 15 vehicles attended the incident, although there was no fire following the explosion.

The plant belongs to one of Poland’s biggest mining companies, JSW, which is “the largest producer of high quality hard coking coal in the European Union,” according to its website.