Fire at building near Seoul Plaza extinguished; no casualties reported

Smoke rises from the Seoul Center Building in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

Firefighters extinguished a blaze at a building in downtown Seoul on Tuesday that forced more than 100 people to evacuate, with no casualties reported, fire authorities said.

The fire was fully put out 1 1/2 hours after breaking out on the third floor of the Seoul Center Building, near Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, where remodeling work was taking place.

No casualties have so far been reported, but three people received emergency care. A total of 111 people evacuated the building on their own, while officials rescued 14 people who evacuated to the building's rooftop.

Officials mobilized 40 vehicles and 140 personnel to put out the fire.

Fire authorities believe the blaze began during construction work at the building. They plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire.