Hundreds were forced to evacuate, and more than 80 people were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation as fire spread through a 33-story apartment block. The blaze reportedly started at Samhwan Art Nouveau at about 11 p.m. local time (2 pm GMT) on Thursday. It was not completely extinguished by Friday morning.

A South Korean news agency said strong winds made it difficult to control the fire which broke out between the 8th and 12th floors. The commercial and residential building has about 120 households and shopping units.