A large fire broke out at a warehouse in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, prompting fire authorities to raise the emergency response level to Level 2 as firefighting operations continue.
According to fire authorities, a report came in at around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday of a fire at a warehouse in Unyang-dong, Gimpo.
The blaze broke out in a storage facility holding clothing. The structure consists of three steel-frame buildings with a total floor area of 331 square meters.
Authorities determined the fire risked spreading to surrounding areas and issued a Level 1 response 21 minutes after the blaze began. They escalated the alert to Level 2 at around 3:26 p.m.
A Level 1 response mobilizes all personnel from the jurisdiction's fire station, while Level 2 calls in staff and equipment from five to six neighboring stations. A total of 43 vehicles and 108 firefighters have been deployed to the scene.
Four warehouse workers self-evacuated, and no casualties have been confirmed so far.
Gimpo city issued an emergency text alert urging residents to reroute vehicles away from roads near the building and calling on anyone inside to evacuate immediately.
Fire authorities plan to investigate the cause of the blaze after the fire is extinguished.
With avian influenza continuing to push egg prices into the 7,000-won range, consumers are turning to hypermarket discount events and retailers carrying imported eggs to ease the burden.
betterj@heraldcorp.com
