Fire extinguished at Jogye Temple building, no injuries

Firefighters try to extinguish the fire reported at Seoul's Central Buddhist Museum in Jongno District, Tuesday. Yonhap

Firefighters on Tuesday extinguished a blaze that broke out at a building inside the Jogye Temple compound in central Seoul, with no casualties reported, officials said.

The blaze was put out at 11:57 a.m. about an hour and a half after it began at the international conference hall on the second floor of the Korean Buddhism History and Culture Memorial Hall next to the temple.

About 300 people were evacuated, while 142 personnel and 35 fire vehicles were deployed to fight the fire.

The smoke rises from Seoul's Central Buddhist Museum in Jongno District next to a Jogye Temple, Tuesday. Yonhap

The blaze was extinguished before it could spread to the temple and the nearby Central Buddhist Museum, home to various cultural artifacts.

Of the 33 artifacts on display at the museum, authorities moved eight pieces to an art storage space at the National Palace Museum of Korea due to concerns of possible damage.

Fire authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze based on eyewitness accounts of the fire starting from sparks from a ceiling air conditioner.