South Korea battles multiple wildfires in southeastern region amid strong dry winds

Seoul: South Korea was battling to contain multiple wildfires raging across the southeastern region on Sunday, with strong and dry winds hindering efforts to bring the blaze under control, authorities said.

The fire began Friday in Sancheong County, 250 kilometres southeast of Seoul, spreading to other areas. Wildfires also broke out in Euiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, about 180 km southeast of the capital; and Ulju County in Ulsan, some 300 km away.

Four people have been killed in the Sancheong fire so far, with six others injured. More than 1,500 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

A total of 4,150 hectares of land — equivalent to approximately 5,811 football fields — has been burned so far, with more than 1,000 hectares destroyed in Euiseong and Sancheong, respectively.

Firefighting crews were working to contain the fires, but strong and dry winds were hindering the efforts. In the case of the Ulju fire, transmission towers on the mountains were making it difficult for fire helicopters to approach, Yonhap news agency reported.

With low-humidity conditions and strong winds forecast for the coming days, the relevant authorities are gearing up to take all possible measures to bring the blaze under control.

On Sunday, acting President Choi Sang-mok said the government will provide Sancheong and two other regions affected by the wildfires with special grants of financial support to help with recovery efforts.

“We will urgently provide a special disaster and safety grant of 2.6 billion won (US$177.4 million) to the three wildfire-affected regions,” Choi said during a disaster control meeting.

The government will also provide 50 million won in disaster relief funds to support evacuees and victims in Sancheong.

South Korean Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk convened a meeting with senior secretaries and discussed measures to bring the situation under control as soon as possible, the presidential office said.

“As strong winds are expected tomorrow, it was agreed that efforts should be focused on extinguishing the main fire before sunset today, while ensuring thorough preparations for nighttime operations,” an official said.

Lee Han-kyung, deputy chief of the disaster control tower, instructed fire authorities to mobilise all available resources to promptly bring the wildfires under control.

“Wildfires are rapidly spreading to broader regions due to dry weather, threatening people’s lives,” Lee said in a disaster response meeting, vowing all-out efforts to put out the fires.

As of Sunday afternoon, firefighters had contained about 50-70 per cent of the blaze in the three regions.

–IANS