SEOUL — Emergency responders in South Korea have successfully put out a massive blaze that swept through Guryong Village, an informal settlement located in Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district.
The fire, which ignited around 3:50 p.m. local time on Tuesday inside a temporary building, displaced 107 residents across 77 households. Firefighters battled the flames for nearly 13 hours before bringing the blaze under full control. Authorities reported one minor leg injury involving a female resident, while affected families were moved to local emergency shelters.
To prevent the inferno from reaching a neighboring mountain, the National Fire Agency launched a major emergency response, deploying 232 firefighters, 110 firefighting vehicles, and six helicopters.
Established during the 1970s and 1980s by families displaced by city redevelopment projects, Guryong is widely recognized as Seoul's largest remaining shantytown. The district remains highly susceptible to rapid-spreading fires due to its densely packed structures constructed from makeshift, flammable materials including plywood and vinyl sheeting. Tuesday's incident follows another severe fire in January that triggered widespread evacuations across the settlement.
