[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The fire at a residential-commercial complex building in Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi Province, which occurred on the afternoon of the 10th, was extinguished at 2:37 a.m. on the 11th, after more than 10 hours.
According to the fire authorities, the fire broke out around 4:29 p.m. on the 10th at a residential-commercial complex building in Dasan-dong, Namyangju-si.
The fire is estimated to have started in the kitchen of a Chinese restaurant on the first floor and spread to the first-floor shops, the pilotis parking lot, and the second-floor shops.
During this process, black smoke spread throughout the area, and hundreds of people in the shops and the mart evacuated urgently.
It was confirmed that 41 people inside the apartments above the shops who could not evacuate in time suffered from smoke inhalation. Among them, 22 were transported to nearby hospitals.
The fire authorities issued a Level 2 response and deployed about 80 pieces of equipment, including three helicopters, and 400 firefighters to extinguish the fire. However, the fire spread to about 20 vehicles parked in the parking lot, making the firefighting efforts difficult.
The building where the fire broke out has 18 floors above ground and 3 basement levels. The pilotis on the ground floor and basements 1 to 3 are used as parking lots, and a large mart is located in the basement. The second floor above ground is used as a sports center and restaurants. Above the shops are apartments housing 360 households.
81 residents who evacuated to escape the flames are currently being accommodated across four facilities.
Smoke also filled Donong Station on the Gyeongui-Jungang Line, located right in front of the building, causing trains to pass through without stopping for about seven hours from 4:44 p.m. on the 10th. Train operations resumed from the train at 11:56 p.m. on the 10th.
The police and fire authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.
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