(LEAD) fire-shantytown

(ATTN: CHANGES headline; UPDATES with details throughout)

SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- A fire broke out at a shantytown in Seoul's posh southern district of Gangnam on Tuesday, but no casualties have been reported so far, officials said.

The fire broke out at about 3:50 p.m. at a makeshift building at Guryong Village, prompting 39 residents to flee to safety, according to fire authorities.

Fire authorities issued a Level 1 emergency response at 3:59 p.m. and later raised the response level by one notch as the fire spread.

A total of 232 personnel and 70 pieces of equipment were mobilized to the scene to fight the blaze.

No injuries or missing persons have been reported so far, and 39 residents have evacuated the area on their own, officials said.

Authorities have guided the locals to a safe area and deployed six firefighting helicopters to prevent the blaze from spreading into a wildfire.

Firefighting officials plan to look into the cause of the blaze and assess the damage as soon as the blaze is extinguished.

The Gangnam Ward office sent a safety text message advising nearby residents to close their windows and for vehicles to avoid the area.

President Lee Jae Myung instructed officials to deploy all available resources for the firefighting operation and make every effort to ensure the safety of residents.

Lee also ordered authorities to take measures to secure the safety of firefighters deployed to the scene, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said.

(END)

[Copyright ⓒ K-VIBE. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution are prohibited.]