[Anchor]
Next, we will connect live to the scene at Guryong Village.
Reporter Park Jaehyeon, fierce flames and smoke are visible behind you. Please walk us through the situation on the ground first.
[Reporter]
Yes, the fire that broke out in the middle of Guryong Village has still not been extinguished four hours after it started.
You should still be able to see the flames behind me.
Compared to when I arrived here about two hours ago, the fire has spread to a much wider area now.
Explosion sounds can be heard here and there at the scene, and strong winds exceeding 5 meters per second are blowing right now, making it difficult for fire authorities to bring the major blaze under control.
Additionally, a shortage of water supply is slowing down firefighting efforts.
The fire was heading toward Mount Guryong, but the wind direction changed, and it is currently spreading toward District 7.
While no casualties have been confirmed so far, the Guryong Village fire has affected 107 people across 77 households.
Gangnam District Office sent out an emergency disaster text advising residents to close their windows and pay attention to safety management due to heavy smoke generated by the fire.
As police have blocked surrounding roads such as Yangjae-daero to assist with firefighting operations, severe traffic congestion is occurring right as it coincides with the evening rush hour.
[Anchor]
As Reporter Park pointed out, the strong winds are concerning. Hopefully, the flames will be brought under control quickly without any casualties. Has the cause of the fire been determined?
[Reporter]
No, the specific cause of the fire has not yet been identified.
The location where the fire broke out is a densely populated residential area, but residents explained that many homes are vacant as most people have temporarily relocated.
Including this incident, four fires have broken out here from around the middle of last year until recently.
Because houses built with flammable materials like thermal insulation cotton or vinyl are clustered close together, fires have frequently spread rapidly once ignited.
In addition, combustible materials inside uninhabited vacant houses are poorly managed, and LP gas cylinders and power lines are tangled up in disorder, making the area known to be vulnerable to fires.
(Video by Choi Dae-woong, Kang Si-woo | Video Editing by Kim Jong-mi, Kim Jun-hee)
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