Smoke is seen from the rooftop of the National Hangeul Museum in Seoul, Feb. 1. Yonhap

A fire that broke out at the National Hangeul Museum in central Seoul on Saturday has been extinguished after roughly four hours, leaving one firefighter injured while artifacts remained undamaged, according to officials.

According to the Yongsan District Office and fire officials, the blaze started at 8:40 a.m. on the third floor and quickly spread to the fourth floor, where construction materials stored on-site hampered firefighting efforts.

Authorities issued a Level 1 emergency alert within 50 minutes of the fire's outbreak, dispatching 262 personnel to contain the flames. The fire was put out around 12:30 p.m.

The museum is currently closed to the public for expansion work. One firefighter was injured after being struck by falling steel debris and was immediately transported to a hospital.

Two construction workers were rescued from the site, while four others managed to evacuate safely.

Since the start of construction on the expansion, the museum has been storing its artifacts separately to prevent damage. As a precautionary measure, authorities have relocated the remaining artifacts to the nearby National Museum of Korea for protection.

Officials suspect that the fire may have been caused by sparks from steel-cutting operations at the construction site. They are conducting a full investigation to determine the exact cause.

Established in 2014, the museum is dedicated to promoting the linguistic and cultural significance of the Korean writing system, known as Hangeul.

Culture Minister Yu In-chon visited the fire-damaged museum and urged authorities to work closely with the fire department to ensure a swift and thorough response.

According to the ministry, Yu was briefed on the firefighting efforts and the extent of the damage. He instructed museum staff and emergency responders to prioritize fire suppression and damage control in cooperation with fire authorities. (Yonhap)

The National Hangeul Museum staffers relocate artifacts to safety after a fire broke out in the museum. Yonhap