On the morning of July 7, a fire broke out in an apartment in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, prompting residents to evacuate and the fire department to issue a first-level response.
According to Yonhap News, the fire was reported at 10:46 a.m. from the 11th floor of a 20-story apartment building in Wadong-dong, with witnesses describing black smoke and flames visible outside the windows.
At the time of the fire, the affected unit was unoccupied, and 21 residents evacuated on their own. During the evacuation, 11 residents exhibited symptoms of smoke inhalation and received treatment on-site or were transported to a hospital. Additionally, one male firefighter in his 20s became exhausted while battling the blaze and was also taken to the hospital.
Due to concerns about potential casualties, the fire department issued a first-level response at 11:08 a.m., deploying over 31 pieces of equipment and more than 90 personnel to combat the fire.
The fire primarily consumed the 11th-floor unit and spread to part of the 12th floor. The fire was fully extinguished by 1:18 p.m., at which point the first-level response was lifted.
Authorities, including police and fire officials, are investigating the exact cause of the fire and assessing the extent of property damage.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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