Fire extinguished after breaking out from vacant home in Gangnam's Guryong Village

A fire broke out early Friday morning in Guryong Village in Gaepo-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul — a neighborhood known as the last shantytown in the capital and considered highly vulnerable to fires.

Flames rise from a fire that broke out in Guryong Village in Gaepo-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 16. [NEWS1]

A fire broke out early Friday morning in Guryong Village in Gaepo-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul — a neighborhood known as the last shantytown in the capital and considered highly vulnerable to fires.

The National Fire Agency received a report around 5 a.m. that a vacant house had caught fire. Firefighters arrived at the scene by 5:05 a.m. and issued a Level 1 emergency response at 5:10 a.m. The response was upgraded to Level 2 by 8:49 a.m. The fire was eventually brought under control after approximately six and a half hours and eventually fully extinguished as of 1:28 p.m.

Under Korea’s fire response protocol, Level 1 mobilizes between 31 and 50 units, while Level 2 deploys 51 to 80.

All 258 residents from 165 households in Zones 4 through 6 of Guryong Village evacuated safely, authorities said.

After the fire was put out, fire authorities confirmed that there were no casualties.

The fire originated in Zone 4 of the village for unknown reasons and spread to the adjacent Zone 6. Due to the area's high fire risk, as it is densely packed with temporary structures, the blaze quickly escalated into a large-scale fire. Firefighters successfully prevented the flames from spreading to neighboring Zones 5 and 7, which sustained no direct damage.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung issued an emergency directive to all relevant agencies, instructing them to “mobilize all available personnel and equipment to focus on rescuing people and extinguishing the fire.” He also emphasized the need to “thoroughly check vacant homes to ensure no residents remain” and to conduct evacuations swiftly and carefully.

Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze in Guryong Village in Gaepo-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 16. [NEWS1]

Yun also called for police to strengthen perimeter controls and urged firefighters to prioritize their own safety during the response.

Seoul city officials said they are using drones and excavators to prevent the fire from spreading and have established an emergency shelter for evacuees at the nearby Guryong Middle School. Temporary accommodation has also been arranged at two sites, including the Best Western Premier Gangnam hotel.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon ordered city officials to “prioritize protecting lives and safety,” adding that “early suppression is essential to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby forested areas amid dry weather.”

Gangnam District Office established a temporary shelter at 5:15 a.m. and set up an integrated command center. It issued emergency alerts to residents, urging them to stay safe and for nearby vehicles to take detours. Three lanes on Yangjae-daero leading to the entrance of Guryong Village from the Guryong Tunnel are currently closed.

Smoke from the fire has spread to Seocho District, Gwanak District and the nearby city of Gwacheon in Gyeonggi. The National Fire Agency advised residents in those areas to keep their windows closed and wear masks when going outside.

Authorities plan to investigate the cause and scale of the damage after the fire is fully extinguished.

Fire authorities said they managed to contain the blaze by 11:34 a.m. and downgraded the emergency response level from Level 2 to Level 1. Update, Jan. 16: Added details on response efforts and fire containmentUpdate, Jan. 16: Added details on extinguishing of fire, cause and casualty information

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY MOON HEE-CHUL [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]