Daegu Market Blaze

[Anchor Lead]

A massive blaze broke out at a traditional market in the southeastern city of Daegu on Wednesday. All of the 670 stores inside the market were affected and parts of the building collapsed. Two firemen were injured while extinguishing the fire. We take you there now.

[Pkg]

Thick gray smoke shoots up the sky, as if to engulf the whole of downtown. A fire broke out at around 2:10 a.m. Wednesday at Seomun Market, the largest traditional marketplace in the entire Gyeongsang-do province region. The fire began on the first floor of a market building with a huge explosion, and quickly enveloped the entire 4-story structure.

[Soundbite] Lee Sang-seok(First Witness) : "The explosion continued on and on like the sound of artillery. I thought it was a gas explosion."

Some 670 stores in Seomun Market's four districts were all burnt down.

[Soundbite] Yun Jong-suk(Seomun Market Vendor) : "I had a load of products in stock to sell for a longtime. Now with the fire... In the current economy, I'm at a loss for what to do."

Parts of a building weakened by the heat also collapsed, injuring two firemen who were inside. Large amounts of flammable materials inside the market such as clothing and linens are also known to have escalated the scale of the damage.