Two Gangnam building fires injure people and force evacuations in Seoul

Two fires broke out seven minutes apart in buildings in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul’s Gangnam district, on Tuesday, October 20, injuring people and forcing about 60 to leave one building. One person was reported in cardiac arrest. Authorities are investigating the cause and whether the incidents were connected, according to Yonhap News Agency and The Korea Herald.

The first fire started on the third floor of a building at 11:54 a.m. local time. The second began at 12:01 p.m. on the fourth floor of another building about 200 meters away, according to Yonhap. The Korea Herald also reported the two start times and said both buildings were in Yeoksam-dong.

Injuries and evacuations at the Gangnam buildings

The Korea Herald said 10 people sustained minor injuries in the first building, including injuries such as smoke inhalation. It reported eight people injured in the second fire. About 60 people fled the first building on their own, the Herald said; Yonhap likewise reported about 60 evacuees there.

Fire response and investigation

Fire authorities launched a Level 1 response involving 115 personnel and 56 pieces of equipment, The Korea Herald reported. Yonhap said firefighters partially put out the first blaze at 1:12 p.m. and extinguished the second about 30 minutes after it began. The Herald reported that authorities planned to investigate the cause after extinguishing the fires.

Yonhap reported that the fires affected offices belonging to two separate firms in separate buildings. It said police were considering possible arson after authorities received a report that someone had started a fire. Arson has not been established as the cause of either blaze.

A fire official said the fires appeared unrelated, but police would determine whether they were connected through their investigation, according to Yonhap. The Korea Herald separately reported that fire authorities considered the fires apparently unrelated at the time of its report.