The apparent vehicle blaze broke out at 6:15 a.m. according to fire authorities, and was completely extinguished in eight hours.
The vehicle, which appears to be a white Mercedes EQE sedan, is seen exploding around two seconds after showing smoke in CCTV footage.
Some 70 cars parked near the Mercedes were damaged, according to fire authorities.
“The burned car is confirmed to be an EV from Mercedes-Benz,” police said. “We will conduct an immediate investigation of the exact cause of the fire with the local fire authority.”
A total of 177 emergency responders, including firefighters, were dispatched to the site.
The Mercedes EQE sedan is reportedly equipped with batteries made by the Ningde, China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL). It was launched in the Korean market in 2022.
“We can’t confirm details about the exact model and batteries at the moment,” a spokesperson from Mercedes-Benz Korea told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “We are taking this very seriously and will do our best to collaborate with fire authorities to determine the exact cause.”
Updated, Aug.1: Updated to reflect the most recent totals of people who were evacuated and rescued.
BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]