Fire in Majang-dong Food Alley, Seoul...Flammable Finishing Materials Ignite (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] At around 11:25 a.m. on the 19th, a fire broke out in the food alley of Majang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, and was extinguished after about two hours.

The fire department deployed 127 personnel and 34 pieces of equipment and completely extinguished the fire at around 2:07 p.m. on the same day, 2 hours and 42 minutes after the fire started.

The fire damaged a total of nine buildings, with eight buildings completely burned and one store partially damaged. There were no casualties, but 70 people in the vicinity evacuated. Additionally, four displaced persons, including merchants who had been living and working in the stores, were reported.

According to the fire authorities, the first store where the fire started was a building constructed using "sandwich panels" made of styrofoam filled between steel plates. This material is widely used as finishing material for large logistics warehouses due to its cost-effectiveness, but it has the disadvantage of being highly flammable and vulnerable to fire.

The police and fire authorities plan to conduct a joint investigation focusing on the possibility that a spark from electrical equipment installed between the restaurants led to the fire.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.