Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung issues emergency order over fire at Guryong Village in Gangnam: “Mobilize all available personnel and equipment”

[Financial News]  Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung issued an emergency order on the 27th in response to a fire in Guryong Village, Gaepo-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, instructing “relevant agencies, including the National Fire Agency, the National Police Agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Gangnam-gu, to mobilize all available personnel and equipment and do everything possible to rescue people and extinguish the fire.” He particularly emphasized the swift evacuation of nearby residents and ensuring the safety of firefighters deployed to tackle the blaze. Fire authorities declared a Level 1 response at 3:59 p.m. that day and began firefighting operations.
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Minister Yun was briefed on the fire in Guryong Village that day and urged relevant agencies to make preventing casualties their top priority.
Minister Yun instructed officials to take steps to ensure nearby residents could evacuate quickly and to do their utmost to prevent any firefighter from being injured in the course of fighting the fire. He urged police to ensure thorough control of the area around the scene.
According to fire authorities, a fire broke out at around 3:50 p.m. that day in Guryong Village, Gaepo-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Fire authorities responded to a report that “it seems a fire has started at a garbage dump” and are working to extinguish the blaze, deploying 51 pieces of equipment, including fire engines, and 168 personnel. A large amount of smoke was produced at the scene, and fire authorities say there have been no injuries so far.
Gangnam-gu Office sent a safety alert saying, “A large amount of smoke is being produced by the fire in Guryong Village,” and advising, “Residents, please close your windows, and vehicles in the area should take a detour.”
Police are controlling the access road to Guryong Village beside the Daemo Underpass to allow fire engines and other vehicles to enter and fight the blaze. Guryong Village is known as the “last shantytown” in Seoul’s Gangnam area. Once the fire has been extinguished, fire authorities plan to investigate its exact cause and the extent of any casualties.

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