[Anchor]
A major fire broke out in Guryong Village, located in Gaepo-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Initial containment was difficult due to the dense concentration of flammable shacks and strong winds. The fire has subsided somewhat after burning an area equivalent to 26 football fields and lasting 7 and a half hours.
For our first report, we turn to reporter Go Jeong-hyeon.
[Reporter]
Crimson flames and plumes of black smoke continuously billow from between closely packed makeshift buildings.
At around 3:50 PM yesterday (October 27), a large fire broke out in District 2 of Guryong Village in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
The fire authorities immediately issued a Level 1 response, followed by a Level 2 response that mobilized personnel from neighboring fire stations.
Fire authorities struggled with initial containment due to strong winds exceeding 5 meters per second and a shortage of water supply.
Explosions sounding like bursting LPG gas cylinders were heard multiple times, and as the fire spread to Districts 1 and 7, black smoke was witnessed across various parts of Gyeonggi Province.
[Guryong Village Resident: Oh my, everything burned. Everything burned. My house completely burned down. I couldn't bring anything out and came out holding just a phone in my hand. I am 91 years old now, and my body is shaking, I couldn't even put on any clothes, I'm freezing, and I can't even speak.]
There were no major casualties as 39 residents and others evacuated on their own, though one woman in her 30s sprained her ankle during evacuation and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital.
The Gangnam-gu Office stated that 77 households and 107 people were affected.
Fortunately, as the major fire was brought under control overnight, the fire authorities lowered the firefighting response level to Phase 1 at around 10 PM last night, 6 hours after the fire broke out.
[Kim Hyun-seok / Head of the Fire Administration Division, Gangnam Fire Station, Seoul: Currently, the major fire has been completely brought under control, and we are in the process of clearing up the remaining residual fires.]
The fire authorities stated that they are securing the contact information of residents to investigate whether they have evacuated, and added that they will also investigate the exact cause of the fire and the scale of the damage.
Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation stated that out of 1,107 households that used to make up Guryong Village, only 54 households remain as redevelopment projects are currently underway.
(Video by Choi Dae-woong, Yoon Hyung, Kang Si-woo | Video Editing by Kim Yun-seong)
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