Main fire contained some 30 minutes after breaking out, flames completely extinguished at 11:14 p.m.
The fire at Seoul's Coex convention center Friday morning has been completely extinguished, a little over two hours after it broke out at 11:06 a.m., with no reported casualties.
According to the rescue authorities, the fire was brought under complete control at around 1:14 p.m., after 121 firefighters and 33 fire engines contained the main flames at around 11:40 p.m. Events, including the World IT show 2025, inside the center resumed at around 1:20 p.m.
The fire is suspected to have originated from a restaurant inside the convention center, located in the Gangnam district of southern Seoul. Preliminary investigation suggests cooking oil inside the kitchen to be a probable culprit; authorities are conducting further investigations into the exact cause.
Testimonies suggest possible lax instructions about fire
While some Coex visitors and employees present at the time of the fire were instructed by authorities to evacuate as a precaution, others were left waiting for directions. attested to possibly insufficient communication by the convention center's operators.
"From around 11 a.m., I suddenly smelled something burning. I was working on the sub-basement floor and I went outside alone," said Uhm So-jeong, a 23-year-old part-time worker of a Skinband store at Coex. "There hasn't been proper notification about the fire, and I wasn't told about the follow-up measures (on the fire), so I'm waiting outside for now and will go in when it quiets down."
Inga, a 40-something tourist from Lithuania, said she arrived at the compound at around 11:30 a.m. to shop.
"We didn't know what happened, so I had to ask other people about the situation and why people were outside the building. And then I found out about the fire. Since there is no direction, I don't know if I should wait or go to another place to tour," she said.
A Korea Herald reporter present at Hall B of the convention center at the time of the fire said she did not hear the fire alarm go off, and there were no specific instructions about what to do.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
jychoi@heraldcorp.com
junheee@heraldcorp.com
