▲ Firefighters battle a fire in the fourth district of Guryong Village, the last remaining slum in Seoul, in the capital's Gangnam Ward on Jan. 20, 2023. (Yonhap)
▲ Smoke billows from the fourth district of Guryong Village, the last remaining slum in Seoul, in the capital's Gangnam Ward on Jan. 20, 2023. (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) slum village-fire

(2nd LD) About 500 people evacuated after fire rages through slum in Seoul

(ATTN: UPDATES with more info in paras 3-5; CHANGES photos)

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- About 500 people were evacuated from homes Friday due to a fire in Guryong Village, the last remaining slum in Seoul, fire authorities said.

The blaze broke out at 6:28 a.m. in the fourth district of the village, located in Seoul's Gangnam Ward, they said.

No deaths or injuries have been reported so far, Shin Yong-ho, a fire official of the Gangnam Fire Station, told reporters. Around 60 houses are presumed to have burned down.

A total 170 firefighters, 300 government officials and 260 police officers were dispatched to the site, Shin said.

Currently, there are around 666 households in the village, and most of the buildings are improvised structures with vinyl plywood panels.

President Yoon Suk Yeol called for maximum efforts in the mobilization of all available firefighters and equipment to ensure there are no casualties, according to his spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye.

Interior Minister Lee Sang-min also ordered officials to prevent any secondary damage and protect residents living nearby, the ministry said.

The village is located in the southern part of Gangnam Ward, which has the country's most expensive real estate. It was formed in the 1980s, when poor residents of the region were forced to move out of their homes as the city carried out development projects.

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