Firefighters battle blaze at Guryong Village, Gangnam’s last shantytown

A fire at the village’s garbage dump prompted a Level 1 response, with authorities urging nearby residents to close windows and drivers to detour.

News Team
Published
Flames and smoke rise from a fire at Guryong Village in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Oct. 27.

A fire broke out Tuesday afternoon in Guryong Village in Gaepo-dong, southern Seoul, a settlement often called Gangnam District’s last shantytown, and firefighters were working to put it out.

“It looks like a fire broke out at the Guryong Village garbage dump,” a caller told fire authorities at about 3:50 p.m.

Firefighters dispatched to the scene issued a Level 1 response, the lowest of three tiers, at 3:58 p.m. and deployed 51 pieces of equipment and 168 personnel to fight the blaze.

Fire authorities said no injuries have been reported so far. They plan to investigate the cause and extent of any injuries once they have the fire under control.

“A lot of smoke is coming from the fire in Guryong Village,” the Gangnam District Office said in a safety alert text message. “Residents are asked to close their windows, and vehicles nearby are asked to take a detour.”

Police blocked the access road to the village beside the Daemo Underpass to make way for the firefighting effort.

Related Article


BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

korea guryong village gangnam district fire shantytown social affairs

Read more

See more articles