At least 60 homes were destroyed, with about 600 firefighters, police officers and troops dispatched to contain the blaze alongside 53 fire engines and 10 helicopters.
“:”About 500 people were evacuated on Friday after a fire broke out in one of the last remaining shantytowns in Seoul just before Lunar New Year, South Korea ’s biggest holiday. The fire erupted at 6:27am in Guryong Village in southern Seoul, which is located near the affluent Gangnam district and is home to more than 660 households, and was extinguished about five hours later. At least 60 homes in the 1,700-square-metre (18,000-square-foot) area were destroyed, fire officials said, with about 600 firefighters, police officers and troops dispatched to contain the blaze. No deaths or injuries have been reported so far, Shin Yong-ho, administrative director at the Gangnam Fire Station, told the media. The main fire was extinguished after emergency services deployed 53 fire engines and 10 helicopters, Shin said. People who had lost their homes would be accommodated temporarily in nearby hotels, according to the official.
