A fire in Seoul’s Guryong Village killed no one but forced 47 evacuations; cause unknown.

On January 16, 2026, at around 5:10 a.m., a large fire started in Guryong Village, a heavily populated informal settlement in Seoul's Gangnam district. Fearing that the fire might spread to a nearby mountain, the alert was raised to the second-highest level, and nearly 300 firefighters and 85 fire trucks responded. There were 47 people evacuated from the area, which had about 110 residents, but there were no reported injuries or fatalities. Despite plans for redevelopment, the settlement, which is made up of flammable makeshift homes, has long faced safety risks. The poor air quality caused by fine dust and haze prevented the deployment of a helicopter. The cause is still being looked into.