A national mobilization order was issued Sunday morning for a wildfire burning in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, as authorities struggled to contain the blaze amid strong winds.
The fire broke out on a hillside in Munmudaewang-myeon at 9:44 p.m. Saturday and later spread.
Fire authorities initially issued a Level 1 response, deploying 341 personnel, 97 pieces of equipment, 34 helicopters and 104 vehicles. Eighty-eight residents were evacuated to shelters by 6 a.m. Sunday.
As the containment rate remained low at around 23 percent, authorities issued a national mobilization order at 11:33 a.m. Additional resources were dispatched, including five units from the 119 Special Response Team and 25 personnel from Daegu, Daejeon, Ulsan, Gangwon Province and South Chungcheong Province.
The containment rate had reached 60 percent by 6:30 a.m. but later dropped to 23 percent as strong winds fueled the fire's spread. The affected area was estimated at 42 hectares, with reported winds of up to 8.9 meters per second. Authorities said about 4.2 hectares of private forest were damaged.
shinjh@heraldcorp.com
