Approximately 500 people evacuated after fire rages through Gangnam shantytown
A fire burns in Guryong Village, one of the last remaining shantytowns in Seoul, Jan. 20. Yonhap
About 500 people were evacuated from their homes Friday due to a fire in Guryong Village, one of the last remaining shantytowns in Seoul, fire authorities said.
The blaze broke out at 6:27 a.m. in the fourth zone of the village, located in Seoul's posh area of Gangnam Ward, and was fully extinguished around 11:46 a.m., they said.
No deaths or injuries have been reported so far, Shin Yong-ho, a fire official at Gangnam Fire Station, told reporters, adding the fire engulfed around 2,700 square meters of the fire-prone town.
More than 900 firefighters, police officers and government officials were dispatched to fight the blaze and handle evacuations.
Currently, there are around 666 households in the village, and most of the buildings are improvised, structures made with vinyl plywood panels.
President Yoon Suk Yeol called for maximum efforts in the mobilization of all available firefighters and equipment to ensure there are no casualties, according to his spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye.
Interior Minister Lee Sang-min also ordered officials to prevent any secondary damage and protect residents living nearby, the ministry said.
The village is located in the southern part of Gangnam District, which has some of the country's most expensive real estate. It was formed in the 1980s, when poor residents of the region were forced out of their homes as the city carried out development projects.
Makeshift houses illegally built at the foot of Mount Guryong are prone to electric malfunctions and fire, as they are built with flammable materials.
Since 2009, the village has suffered at least 16 fires, resulting in the death of one resident in November 2014.
Despite the Seoul city government's plan to designate the village as an urban development zone back in 2011, the proposal has faltered due to disagreements between local governing bodies and residents, and negotiations over land compensation. (Yonhap)
A firefighting helicopter attempts to extinguish a fire at Guryong Village, Seoul, Jan. 20. Yonhap