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| A firefighting helicopter drops water to contain a fire that broke out on a mountain in Uljin County, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is seen in this screen grab from footage provided by the Korea Forest Service, May 28. Yonhap |
Firefighters were fighting a fast-spreading wildfire in the northeastern county of Uljin Saturday, with the blaze prompting the authorities there to issue an evacuation order for nearby residents. No people were reported injured.
The fire started on a mountain in Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at around 12:06 p.m. and has been spreading rapidly due to high winds of up to 20 meters per second, according to officials.
Local forest and fire authorities sent 30 helicopters and some 200 firefighters to contain the blaze.
There have been no casualties, but some facilities and a temple in the vicinity caught on fire, according to the emergency authorities.
The county office ordered residents of nearby villages to evacuate.
The authorities issued a Level 2 wildfire alert, the third highest in the four-tier system, which allows for the mobilization of firefighters from several nearby areas.
On March 4, a massive wildfire started in Uljin and spread to nearby areas in the eastern Gangwon Province.
The blaze became the country's second-biggest on record, wiping out 20,523 hectares of woodland and causing financial damage worth 226.1 billion won. ($180 million). (Yonhap)
