The fire that broke out in Guryong Village in Gaepo-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul was brought under control after about 6 hours and 30 minutes.
The National Fire Agency said the fire that started in Guryong Village at around 5 a.m. on the 16th was initially contained at around 11:34 a.m. In response, fire authorities lowered the response level from level 2 to level 1.
That day, fire authorities were dispatched after receiving a report that said "a fire broke out in a vacant house," and issued a level 1 response at around 5:10 a.m. As the flames were not contained, the level was raised to level 2 at 8:49 a.m. A level 2 response mobilizes personnel from 8 to 11 nearby fire stations and 51 to 80 pieces of equipment around the incident site.
There have been no reported casualties so far. A total of 47 people from 32 households were evacuated due to the fire. The aftermath of the blaze also restricted traffic on the bottom two lanes of Yangjae-daero heading from the Guryong Tunnel to the entrance of Guryong Village.
Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung issued an emergency order, saying, "Relevant agencies must mobilize all personnel and equipment to focus all efforts on rescue and extinguishing operations, and act swiftly and thoroughly so that residents can evacuate and casualties do not occur."
Meanwhile, Guryong Village, known as the "last shantytown" in the Gangnam area of Seoul, is set for redevelopment into a nature-friendly residential complex after the redevelopment plan passed Seoul city review at the end of last year.