Fire in old Euljiro buildings

[Anchor]

This afternoon (May 28), a fire broke out in a densely packed area of old commercial buildings in Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul, and the fire department is currently conducting firefighting operations.

Traffic on the surrounding roads is also being controlled.

Let's connect to our reporter on the scene.

Reporter Choo Jae-hoon, fortunately, it seems that the flames have been somewhat contained.

What is the situation at the scene?

[Reporter]

Yes, I am currently in Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul.

The fire started about six hours ago, and at one point, a Level 2 response was issued.

The fire department successfully extinguished the flames around 8:20 PM.

The area where the fire occurred is scheduled for redevelopment, and most of the buildings were vacant, so it has been confirmed that there are not many casualties.

So far, one man in his 70s has been rescued after inhaling smoke and has been taken to the hospital.

Nearby residents have also been evacuated to avoid the smoke, causing some confusion.

[Kim Bok-soon/Jung-gu, Seoul/Local Merchant: "I couldn't see the sky. Earlier, a neighbor came to my house asking for a mask, saying that their store was on fire."]

[Anchor]

It took a long time to contain the flames. Why was that?

[Reporter]

The area where the fire broke out is densely packed with old commercial buildings, and the access routes were narrow.

Additionally, there were many flammable materials inside.

As a result, the fire spread quickly, but extinguishing it was quite challenging.

[Kim Chun-soo/Head of Fire Administration, Seoul Jungbu Fire Station: "Currently, there are a large number of stores, and the items stored in each are different. We have to break down one side at a time with an excavator to continue the work...."]

The fire appears to have started in a storage area on the first floor of one building, with about 40 storage units completely burned and over 70 operating stores also affected.

Furthermore, the lanes from Euljiro 4-ga to 3-ga are currently completely blocked.

The Jung-gu Office in Seoul has requested through a safety notice that "vehicles should detour and nearby residents should refrain from passing through."

This is KBS News, Choo Jae-hoon.