约20人死于韩国堤川市一处火灾

About 20 people died Thursday when a fire broke out in a building that houses a fitness center in the South Korean city of Jecheon.

The National Fire Agency said most of the victims were killed in a sauna after the fire started in a vehicle and swept throughout the eight story building, trapping many people inside.

"The fire produced so much toxic smoke so quickly, leaving many people unable to evacuate," an agency spokesman said.

Jecheon is a scenic city with mountain and lakes that is located about 118 kilometers southeast of the capital of Seoul.