A large forest fire broke out on the slopes of Inwangsan, a mountain in central Seoul, on Sunday. According to authorities, the blaze began at approximately 11:53 a.m. and quickly spread to the northern side of the mountain, burning an area approximately the size of 30 football fields.
No deaths or casualties had been reported as of 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The National Fire Agency deployed 15 helicopters, 93 rescue vehicles and 580 personnel to extinguish the fire and said it had contained 70 to 80 percent of the blaze. Fire authorities have issued a level 2 emergency fire alert after the fire broke out. Korea operates a three-level emergency fire alert system, with level 3 being the highest. President Yoon Suk Yeol also ordered to take every possible means to contain the fire.
Local firefighting officials limited access to the fire-hit mountain and helped nearby residents from 120 households evacuate as the blaze spread to areas in Gaemi Village of Hongje-dong, Seodaemun-gu, western Seoul.
The cause of the fire was unknown as of press time, according to officials.
