Over 6,000 evacuated due to fast-spreading wildfire in South Korea

A wildfire destroys houses in Donghae, South Korea. Pic/PTI

More than 6,000 people have evacuated their homes as firefighters battle a massive wildfire in South Korea's eastern coastal areas on Saturday. The fire burned an estimated 21,179 acres of woodland in Uljin, about 330 km southeast of Seoul, and its neighbouring city of Samcheok as of Saturday afternoon, according to forest and firefighting authorities. That is more than double the size of woodland reported to have been affected the previous day, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The blaze started on Friday morning on a road near a mountain in Uljin and spread north to Samcheok in the afternoon, driven by strong winds and dry weather, according to the Korea Forest Service (KFS). It destroyed at least 153 homes and 53 other structures, but no casualties were reported. The fire once threatened a nuclear power plant, the nation's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) production complex, and power transmission lines in the areas, but the firefighters brought the blaze under control before it reached the facilities, officials said.

As of Saturday afternoon, 4,296 firefighters were battling the blaze with 46 helicopters and 273 firetrucks deployed, focusing their efforts on blocking the southward spread of the fire.

4,296
Firefighters have been deployed to fight the fire

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