Hundreds flee after fire spreads through Seoul neighborhood

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A fire has spread through a neighborhood of densely packed, makeshift homes in South Korea’s capital, destroying at least 60 and forcing about 500 residents to flee. Firefighters were bringing the fire under control at Guryong village. A fire official said all residents were believed to have been safely evacuated but rescuers were continuing to search. The village, located near some of Seoul’s most expensive real estate, has often been damaged by fires, a vulnerability linked to its tightly packed homes built with materials that easily burn. The village was formed as a settlement for people evicted from slums and low-income neighborhoods in massive redevelopment projects in the 1980s under the country’s then-military leaders.