SEOUL, Jan 20 (NNN-YONHAP) – About 500 people evacuated their homes this morning, in a fire that broke out in Guryong Village, called the last remaining shantytown in the South Korean capital, Seoul.
The blaze started around 6:27 a.m. local time (2127 GMT Thursday), from the fourth district of the village, in Seoul’s southern Gangnam Ward.
The fire authorities and the ward office evacuated some 500 residents from their homes in the village, where about 666 households reside. No casualty had been confirmed yet, and some 60 houses were believed to have burned down.
Dispatched to the scene were 10 helicopters, 61 pieces of fire equipment, about 500 firefighters and police officers, some 100 army servicemen and around 300 ward officials.
The blaze was largely brought under control around 10:10 a.m. local time (0110 GMT).
The fire was presumed to have spread rapidly, as the shanties are made of flammable materials, such as vinyl and plywood.– NNN-YONHAP
