500 evacuated after large fire broke out in one of Seoul’s slums

• Guryong Village is one of the few remaining slums in Seoul’s Gangnam district.
• Majority of the buildings were constructed from vinyl plywood panels.
•  Yoon Suk Yeol has mobilized all available personnel to put out the fire.

Over 500 people were forced to leave their houses on Friday after a fire broke out in Guryong Village, one of the few remaining slums in South Korea’s capital Seoul, according to fire officials.

According to Shin Yong-ho, an officer with the Gangnam Fire Station, the fire started at 6:28 a.m. in the village’s fourth district. Five minutes later, according to him, first responders showed up.

Around 11:50 a.m. local time, it was put out after causing 2,700 square meters of damage.

As of yet, no fatalities or injuries have been reported.

According to Shin, 60 dwellings are thought to have burned down. He added that the majority of the buildings were constructed from vinyl plywood panels.

Social media videos show the fire burning what appear to be rows of homes, with enormous plumes of thick, black smoke hovering over the slum and adjacent sirens wailing.

Ten helicopters have been deployed to help with the response, and more than 800 reaction people, including firefighters, police officers, and government employees, have been mobilized, according to Shin.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is in Switzerland attending the World Economic Forum, has been notified of the fire and has ordered authorities to mobilize “all available personnel and equipment,” according to the presidential office.

According to his office, Yoon also asked local governments to evacuate residents and guarantee the security of rescue personnel.

The Gangnam government stated on its website that the slum was “prone to fires” in 2019. Guryong inhabitants have long been informed that they are particularly at danger of calamities.

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