Fire at Yeouido Department Store in Seoul Evacuates 110 People... Fully Extinguished in 1.5 Hours (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Around 4 p.m. on the 24th, a fire broke out during construction work at Yeouido Department Store (Manhattan Building) in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, causing about 100 people to evacuate.

According to the Yeongdeungpo Fire Station in Seoul, the fire occurred near the rooftop ventilation shaft of the 14-story building. Although no one was injured, smoke spread inside the building, prompting 110 people to evacuate.

The smoke is believed to have spread to each floor of the building through the pit room where fire hydrant pipes and electrical cables are installed.

The fire authorities issued a "Level 1 Response," an alarm that mobilizes all personnel of the jurisdictional fire station, fearing the fire might spread due to delayed extinguishing efforts. They deployed 191 personnel and 55 pieces of equipment and completely extinguished the fire by around 5:35 p.m., 1 hour and 30 minutes later.

The fire authorities stated that welding work was underway on the building's rooftop and plan to investigate the exact extent of the damage and the cause of the fire.