Seoul: About 50 people were forced to flee their homes Friday after a fire broke out in a low-income town in southern Seoul, officials said. Authorities have called out some 300 firefighters to put out the blaze at the Guryong village. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the fire erupted around 5 a.m. in the fourth district of Guryong village, prompting 47 residents to evacuate. A total of 297 firefighters and 85 vehicles were dispatched to the area, with efforts also made to deploy firefighting helicopters, although poor visibility has hindered their deployment.

Firefighters responded promptly after receiving a report of a fire at an unoccupied house. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation. Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung urged authorities to mobilize all available resources for rescue and firefighting efforts, emphasizing the importance of checking empty houses to prevent casualties and ensuring the safety of firefighters.

Authorities initially issued a level 1 firefighting response at 5:10 a.m., which was elevated at 8:49 a.m. to deploy more personnel to prevent the fire from spreading to a nearby mountain and the village's fifth district. Traffic restrictions have been imposed on parts of Yangjae-daero near the affected area.

Guryong village, located on the fringes of Gangnam, was formed in the 1980s when low-income residents were displaced due to city development projects. The makeshift houses, built with flammable materials, are prone to electric malfunctions and fire. The area, considered the last remaining slum in the Gangnam area, is awaiting redevelopment.