The fire broke out at the Recovering plant, leveling the building after a series of explosions inside the factory located in Campana, a town 46 miles (74 kilometers) north of Buenos Aires.
Authorities said they were working to determine the cause of the blasts and investigating prelimary reports the factory's boiler had possibly overheated. The worker who died was near the boiler at the time of the explosion, authorities said.
As firefighters battled the blaze, rescue workers sealed off an area around the factory, evacuating people from nearby homes, said Arrendo Acciardi, a spokesman for Campana's civil defense services.
At least four firefighters suffered injuries while working to bring the fire under control, Acciardi said.
The fire continued to burn for hours, sending plumes of thick smoke into the sky that could be seen from as far as 20 kilometers (12 miles) away.
