Fire Scare Near Seoul's Historic Jogye Temple

A fire erupted on Tuesday in a building near South Korea's historic Jogye Buddhist temple in Seoul, home to national treasures, but was swiftly contained with no harm to the artefacts, officials confirmed.

More than 300 monks and Jogye order members attending a meeting were evacuated safely, according to Jongno district fire department's Kang Kyung-chul. Approximately 36 fire trucks responded to the scene after smoke was observed billowing from the building, which serves both the Jogye order and a Buddhist museum sheltering two national treasures and other cultural artefacts.

The specific national treasures in the building remain unidentified. Firefighters successfully contained the blaze within the concrete structure, preventing its spread to the temple's main wooden hall. An investigation into the fire's cause is underway as museum staff prepare to relocate some items to safeguard them from soot and smoke damage.

(With inputs from agencies.)