Firefighters brought a blaze under initial control about three hours after it broke out during the evening rush hour on Thursday at a restaurant in Bukchang-dong, Jung-gu, central Seoul, authorities said.
The Jungbu Fire Station said it received a report at 6:22 p.m. of gray smoke rising from a restaurant on the second floor of a commercial building in the popular food alley. First responders arrived at 6:28 p.m., deploying 96 personnel, including police, and 42 pieces of equipment to contain the fire.
At 9:15 p.m., fire authorities said the blaze had been brought under initial control, though extinguishing work was still underway as of around 9:09 p.m., nearly three hours after the fire began.
To facilitate firefighting efforts, authorities partially closed lower lanes of Sejongdaero between Sungnyemun and City Hall Station starting at 6:48 p.m., as thick smoke spread across the downtown area. Police also cordoned off alleys near the affected building.
Given concerns about the building’s age and risk of collapse, firefighters conducted operations from outside. Authorities mobilized an excavator to partially demolish the structure from the top down, judging that dismantling parts of the building was necessary to fully suppress the fire. The three-story building has a rooftop structure and wooden interior, which appeared to complicate extinguishing efforts. As the excavator tore into the smoke-filled structure, air-conditioning units and other fixtures fell to the ground.
No injuries were reported. An estimated 25 customers and six employees evacuated safely.
The fire, which erupted in the heart of the city during rush hour, drew large crowds of police officers, firefighters, nearby shop patrons and passersby.
Police and fire authorities said they plan to investigate the exact point of ignition and the cause of the fire once the blaze is fully extinguished.
yoohong@heraldcorp.com
