The fire occurred at 10 a.m. local time at a Foxconn building in the Chinese city of Yantai, located in the country's Shandong province. An initial investigation found that the fire was possibly caused by an exhaust pipe on the roof of the building, according to Foxconn.

of the fire have appeared on a Chinese social networking site and in local media reports, showing a large plume of black smoke billowing from the building. Foxconn did not immediately comment on what the building was being used for.

The fire comes months after an occurred at another Foxconn factory in Chengdu, China. The blast killed three workers and injured 15 others. While Foxconn said the explosion was caused by "combustible dust in a duct", watch dog groups took the explosion as further evidence that the company operates its factories in unsafe working conditions.

Foxconn also manufactures products for other electronics companies including HP, Sony and Nintendo. But the company has seen its reputation suffer since last year, when a string of worker suicides occurred at Foxconn facilities in China. Foxconn has said it works to ensure worker safety while also providing employees with the highest wages in the industry.