High-Rise Apartment Fire in Seoul Injures Nineteen Residents, Forces Hundreds to Evacuate, Destroys Homes

Seoul, South Korea— A fire tore through a high-rise apartment complex in Seoul Thursday afternoon, injuring 19 residents and forcing hundreds to flee as smoke filled stairwells and flames jumped between balconies.

The blaze broke out around 1:20 p.m. local time on the 12th floor of a 25-story building in the Nowon district, in northeastern Seoul, according to Yonhap News Agency and Seoul fire authorities. Strong winds pushed flames upward to the 15th floor, where exterior cladding caught fire. Smoke poured into the central stairwell, the main escape route.

Nineteen injuries were reported by evening, most from smoke inhalation and minor burns while evacuating. Three were in serious condition after jumping onto air mattresses from lower floors. More than 300 residents were evacuated, some carried down by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus. The building houses more than 800 people.

"The alarm rang, but smoke was already in the hallway, we could not see," a resident on the 14th floor told Yonhap. "We covered our mouths with towels and went down. The elevator was not working."

Fire crews deployed 40 trucks and two ladder platforms, containing the blaze after two hours. The interior of four apartments was gutted, with another 20 damaged by heat and smoke. The building's sprinkler system reportedly failed on the fire floor, a point now under investigation.

High-rise fires are a recurring risk in Seoul, where thousands of similar complexes built in the 1990s and 2000s use combustible exterior panels to save costs. A 2022 government audit found that 60% of complexes over 15 stories lacked proper fire compartmentalization. Retrofits have been slow.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would inspect the building's fire safety systems and the property management's maintenance logs. The complex's management office said it had conducted a fire drill last month, but residents said they were not notified.

Power was cut to the entire complex, leaving families unable to return. The district office set up a temporary shelter in a nearby community center, with bedding and food. Many residents were elderly, living alone, with limited mobility.

The cause was still under investigation, but fire officials said early evidence pointed to an electrical short on a balcony where storage and a portable stove were kept.

By nightfall, the building stood dark, its upper floors blackened, windows broken, smoke still seeping from cracks.

Residents waited outside, watching their homes.