(LEAD) About 50 people evacuated from fire in low-income town in Seoul

▲ Firefighters arrive to put out a fire at Guryong village in southern Seoul in this photo provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters on Jan. 16, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ A fire ravages Guryong village in southern Seoul on Jan. 16, 2026. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) shanty town-fire

(LEAD) About 50 people evacuated from fire in low-income town in Seoul

(ATTN: ADDS interior minister's instruction, details)

By Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Yonhap) -- About 50 people were forced to flee their homes Friday after a fire broke out in a low-income town in southern Seoul, officials said.

Authorities have called out some 300 firefighters to put out the blaze at the Guyrong village. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The fire broke out at around 5 a.m. in the fourth district of the Guryong village, one of the last-remaining shanty towns in Seoul, prompting 47 people to evacuate from their homes.

A total of 297 firefighters and 85 vehicles have been dispatched to the area, with authorities also seeking to deploy firefighting helicopters. Poor visibility has prevented helicopters from taking off.

Firefighters rushed to the scene after receiving a report of a fire that broke out at an unoccupied house. They plan to investigate the exact cause of the blaze.

Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung instructed authorities to mobilize all available personnel and equipment for rescue and firefighting efforts.

"Please check empty houses so that there are no casualties, and make sure that no firefighter is hurt while carrying out swift and thorough evacuation and firefighting efforts," he said.

Authorities issued a level 1 firefighting response at 5:10 a.m. before elevating it at 8:49 a.m. to deploy more personnel to prevent the fire from spreading to a nearby mountain and the village's fifth district.

They have also restricted traffic on parts of Yangjae-daero near the area.

The Guryong village is located on the fringes of Gangnam, known for the country's most expensive real estate. It was formed in the 1980s when low-income residents of the region were forced to move out of their homes as the city carried out development projects.

Makeshift houses illegally built at the foot of Mount Guryong are prone to electric malfunctions and fire, as they are built with flammable materials.

The area is considered the last remaining slum of the Gangnam area and is awaiting redevelopment.

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