One Week Before BTS Concert, Fire at Sogong-dong Lodging Facility Injures 10 Including Foreigners

According to Financial News, a fire broke out at a lodging facility in downtown Seoul that is popular with foreign tourists, one week before BTS’s comeback concert at Gwanghwamun. Ten people were injured in the incident.
According to fire authorities and other officials on the 15th, the fire started around 6:10 p.m. the previous day on the third floor of a mixed-use building in Sogong-dong, Jung District, Seoul, which houses a lodging business up to the seventh floor.
Fire authorities mobilized 110 personnel and 31 pieces of equipment. The blaze was fully extinguished at about 9:35 p.m., roughly three and a half hours later.
So far, three people have suffered serious injuries and were transported to hospitals, while seven others with minor injuries received treatment at the scene. Nine of the ten injured are believed to be foreign nationals.
Among the seriously injured, a woman in her 50s is reportedly unconscious.
In addition, eleven guests who were in the building at the time evacuated.
There were 66 people booked for rooms on the third floor where the fire started, and 45 of them had already checked in.
Fire authorities, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant agencies, are working to confirm the whereabouts of 16 of these guests.
The building where the fire occurred has one basement level and seven above-ground floors. The third, sixth, and seventh floors were being operated as lodging facilities. The third and sixth floors reportedly had capsule-style rooms with multiple beds in a single room.
Even after the fire was put out, fire authorities continued to search the interior of the building for any remaining people. Fire authorities and police plan to conduct a joint inspection to determine the exact cause of the blaze.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon issued an emergency order to make every effort to manage the scene and support victims following the fire at the building in Sogong-dong, Jung District, Seoul.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Oh said of the fire at the mixed-use building in Sogong-dong, "Do everything possible to stabilize the situation at the site, and make every effort to provide all necessary support, including temporary housing and hospital transfers, so that victims, including foreign tourists, do not experience further inconvenience."
To protect victims such as foreign tourists who were staying in the building, the city has set up a temporary shelter at the Sogong-dong Community Service Center and is providing temporary housing by using nearby hotels.
At present, the city has secured 17 rooms at three hotels to use as temporary housing.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government also stated that it is supporting the rapid transfer of the injured to hospitals and monitoring conditions at the scene, and that it will respond immediately if additional medical care or relief is needed.


moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter