Blaze at Sinmok Elementary School in Yangcheon-gu starts in basement substation
31 fire trucks, 105 firefighters deployed
No injuries reported; alternative childcare arranged
A fire broke out Tuesday morning in a basement substation at Sinmok Elementary School in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, and was extinguished about an hour and a half later. No one was injured, but a power outage knocked out electricity to the school, prompting authorities to close it temporarily.
According to the Yangcheon Fire Department and the Seoul Gangseo Education Support Office, the fire started at around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday in the first basement-level substation of the school. Firefighters fully extinguished the blaze at around 8:57 a.m., deploying 31 vehicles and 105 personnel.
No injuries were reported. Two people affiliated with the school evacuated on their own during the fire.
The blaze damaged the school's electrical equipment, briefly cutting power to about 180 households in the surrounding area. Electricity was restored within roughly 20 minutes.
However, the power outage inside the school continued, and the school sent out an emergency notice suspending student attendance for the day. Sinmok Elementary School is set to remain closed through July 1.
Childcare services for students will be provided at nearby schools. "No casualties have been confirmed so far," an official from the Gangseo-Yangcheon Education Support Office said, adding that students requiring care would be placed at nearby youth centers for childcare.
Fire authorities are investigating the exact cause of the blaze.
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