South Korea: almost 90 people injured in a fire in a tall building

In the coastal city of Ulsan, in South Korea, a fire broke out in a high-rise building overnight. Numerous people were injured. According to the fire department, the fire is now completely under control.

After 14 hours, firefighters were able to control the fire of a high-rise building in the industrial and port city of Ulsan, in South Korea. The fire in the 33-story building broke out overnight. The extinction work had been complicated by the strong winds. Sometimes an entire side of the skyscraper was on fire.

According to rescuers, 88 people were taken to the hospital early in the morning. Apparently no one was seriously injured. Most of them had inhaled smoke. It is not known how many people were in the building at the time of the accident. According to the Yonhap news agency, more than 380 people lived there. There are no reports of deaths or missing persons.

Many unanswered questions

The fire is believed to have started between the eighth and twelfth floors and then spread rapidly upward. The exact cause is not yet clear. The photographs showed large chunks of concrete falling to the street. It is also unclear whether this caused a risk of collapse. Some 50 people had reportedly fled to the top or roof of the building to save themselves.

The fire was there suddenly, Yonhap summoned a resident. “The windows were smashed and the living room and bathroom caught fire.” He ran out as soon as he got the news of the fire, said a shopkeeper downstairs.