SEOUL, South Korea: A fire broke out this week in a building near the historic Jogye Buddhist temple in Seoul. The building holds some of the country's national treasures. Fire officials said the fire was later put out, and thankfully, no artefacts were damaged and no one was hurt.
More than 300 monks and officials from the Jogye order, who were having a meeting in the building's conference hall, were safely evacuated, according to Kang Kyung-chul from the Jongno district fire department.
About 36 fire trucks were sent to the site after thick smoke was seen coming from the building. The building is used by the Jogye order—the largest Buddhist order in South Korea—and a Buddhist museum that keeps two national treasures and several cultural heritage items.
Officials have not said which national treasures were inside at the time of the fire.
Firefighters managed to stop the fire from spreading to the temple's main hall, which is made mainly of wood.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated, Kang said.
A monk and a museum official at the scene said that museum staff were getting ready to move some items temporarily to protect them from smoke and soot damage.
