[Photo] Fire breaks out at Bitcoin “mine” in Gangneung

A fire broke out on Dec. 8 in the basement of a motel in Gangneung, Gangwon Province in which about 300 graphics cards were being used to mine the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Unlike common currency which is issued by a central bank, bitcoin is “mined” using high-end graphics cards to solve complicated math problems, for which miners are issued a certain number of bitcoins in exchange. The fire was brought under control by firefighters after 10 minutes with minimal damage. No casualties were reported. (provided by Gangwon Provincial Fire Department)