Fires continued to burn near the eastern cities of Gangneung and Samcheok in Gangwon Province, Monday, as soldiers, civil servants and volunteers struggled to bring them under control. One person has died.
Firefighters were close to extinguishing the wind-fed forest fires that broke out in the eastern mountainous region Saturday and Sunday, but strong winds revived some of them overnight, authorities said.
Firefighters try to put out forest fires in Samcheok, Gangwon Province, Monday. (Yonhap)
The Korea Forest Service said high winds with a speed of 10 to 15 meters per second have further complicated the situation there, with 60 percent of the blaze having been put out as of Monday morning.
Authorities said residents in Seongsan-myeon in Gangneung were evacuated at around 3:20 a.m. Monday.
“We need a much bigger workforce to contain the fire and completely remove it from underground spots,” said Ko Gi-yeon, chief of the Korea Forest Service’s eastern region headquarters.
The government has sent some 20 helicopters and thousands of people, including firefighters, soldiers, police officers and government officials, to contain the fire.
Some 6,300 military personnel were dispatched to the disaster-hit area to help firefighting helicopters and 1,500 officers.
Meanwhile, one crew member died after a firefighting helicopter got stuck on a high-tension power line during a mission to put out fires at around 11 a.m.
Authorities said the maintenance worker on board the helicopter fell unconscious and later died after being taken to a nearby hospital for treatment in Samcheok.
The fires have also claimed one life. A 58-year-old hiker was killed after falling while trying to avoid a wildfire in Sangju.
By Kim Da-sol (
ddd@heraldcorp.com)