Tongyeong Jeseok Elementary School Suffers 1.5 Billion Won Property Damage Due to Fire... Temporary Closure Until the 20th

On the 18th, a fire caused damage to buildings and vehicles at Jeseok Elementary School in Tongyeong, Gyeongnam, with the fire department estimating property damage worth approximately 1.5 billion KRW.

According to the Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters on the 19th, the fire broke out around 2:10 PM the previous day in the garbage area of Tongyeong Jeseok Elementary School.

The fire was extinguished by responding firefighters around 3:48 PM that day, but the flames spread from the suspected ignition point near the garbage area to parked vehicles and up to the 5th floor of the school building, causing extensive damage.

Firefighters are extinguishing a fire that spread to a school building.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters]

The fire completely destroyed 8 parked vehicles and partially damaged or burned 11 others, totaling 19 vehicles affected.

Twelve classrooms were completely burned, and seven classrooms were half or partially burned, resulting in the loss of 2,000㎡ of the building and scorching of 7,800㎡, with the fire department estimating property damage worth about 1.5 billion KRW.

At the time, about 500 people, including 5th and 6th-grade students, faculty members, and school officials, evacuated urgently, excluding 1st to 4th graders who had already gone home.

During the evacuation, three people?a woman in her 60s responsible for school cleaning, a woman in her 40s who was picking up her child, and a teenage female student?were hospitalized after inhaling smoke.

The Gyeongnam Office of Education decided to temporarily close Jeseok Elementary School until the 20th, allowing only faculty members to attend, and plans to coordinate future schedules for academics, meals, and facility restoration.