A fire broke out at the Eunma Apartments in southern Seoul on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring three others. The blaze started early in the morning and was contained within 30 minutes, though a teenage girl died in the incident. Around 70 residents were evacuated.
The fire erupted at 6:18 a.m. on February 24 at the Eunma Apartments in Daechi-dong, Gangnam District, southern Seoul. According to the ward office and firefighting authorities, a teenage girl in the affected unit was killed, while two others in the same unit suffered facial burns. An upstairs neighbor reported breathing difficulties from smoke inhalation, but none of the three injured individuals are in life-threatening condition.
Approximately 70 other residents evacuated the building. The fire was contained after about 30 minutes and fully extinguished by 7:36 a.m. Police and firefighting services plan to investigate the cause of the fire and assess the extent of the damage.
Eunma Apartments, built in 1979, is a massive complex in the affluent Gangnam district and has been central to national real estate policy debates. It faced years of delays in reconstruction approval due to safety concerns and internal conflicts within its reconstruction promotion association, but a plan was finalized last year to construct 5,893 new apartment units in 49-story buildings by 2030.