SEOUL, October 27 (AJP) - A fire that broke out in Guryong Village, dubbed as the last shantytown in the affluent part of southern Seoul, spread to a nearby hillside as of Tuesday evening, prompting a Level 2 emergency response and traffic restrictions ahead of the evening rush hour.
The blaze was reported at around 3:50 p.m. in District 2 of the village in Gangnam District. Fire authorities raised their response to Level 2 at around 4:30 p.m. as flames continued to spread amid strong wind.
No injuries had been reported as of late Tuesday afternoon.
The fire expanded to the hillside behind District 2 and moved toward District 1, according to residents contacted by AJP. Firefighters had brought the flames on the District 1 side under control, but police were preventing residents there from returning to their homes while firefighting operations continued.
The account had not been independently confirmed by police or fire authorities as of late Tuesday afternoon.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon ordered authorities to mobilize all available personnel and equipment to contain the fire and protect residents. He also instructed the city's second vice mayor to go to the scene and coordinate evacuation and firefighting efforts with police, fire authorities and Gangnam District.
The city also ordered Gangnam District's parks and green-space officials to establish firebreaks near the village to prevent the blaze from spreading farther into the adjacent forest.
Gangnam District sent emergency alerts warning residents of heavy smoke and urged people nearby to take safety precautions.
Guryong Village, one of Seoul's last remaining shantytowns, is made up largely of tightly packed makeshift homes built with materials such as wood, vinyl and plywood, making fires particularly difficult to contain.
Fire authorities were expected to investigate the cause of the blaze and the extent of the damage after bringing the fire fully under control.
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