Fire at Gimpo Shoe Warehouse Extinguished After 4 Hours; No Casualties Reported

A large fire that broke out at a shoe storage warehouse in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, has been extinguished after approximately four hours.

The fire started at around 2:45 p.m. today (June 23) at a shoe storage facility in Unyang-dong, Gimpo, consisting of three steel-structured buildings with a total floor area of 331 square meters.

The blaze resulted in the destruction of several buildings belonging to eight nearby businesses.

About 70 people, including warehouse staff, evacuated on their own, and no casualties have been reported.

Kwak Seong-uk, head of the Fire Prevention Division at the Gimpo Fire Station, held a briefing near the scene today and explained, "A large quantity of shoes was stored inside the warehouse," adding, "The affected nearby buildings included not only warehouses but also factories."

Concerned about the fire spreading, fire authorities issued a "Level 1 Response" 21 minutes after the fire began, and upgraded it to a "Level 2 Response" 20 minutes later to conduct firefighting operations.

To prevent the fire from spreading to the nearby Gimpo Furniture Complex, authorities deployed 6 helicopters, 64 pieces of equipment, and 165 personnel, including firefighters, to battle the blaze.

The main fire was brought under control and initially extinguished at approximately 6:40 p.m., about four hours after it began, and all response levels have since been lifted.

(Photo: Provided by reader, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.