Fire at traditional market burns down 227 stores in Seocheon

SEOUL, A fire broke out at a large marine products market in the central county of Seocheon and burned down 227 shops, but there were no human casualties, officials said Tuesday. The blaze erupted at 11:08 p.m. on Monday and firefighters put the major flames under control about two hours later with the help of 361 firefighters and 45 fire engines. It was completely extinguished at 7:55 a.m., according to officials. No casualties were reported as no one was inside the market when the blaze started, but 227 stores within the market, out of 292 in total, including all 121 shops selling marine goods, were burned down. The fire did not affect the stores displaying agricultural products, which are in the annex building, authorities said. Firefighting authorities said they struggled to put out the fire due to the packed structure of a traditional market and a gale blowing at the time. Local officials sent out notifications to county residents, warning them to flee for safety from the poisonous gas leak near the market. Fire authorities are looking into how the fire erupted and plan to inspect the damage incurred. Source: Yonhap News Agency