At least three firefighters have been pronounced dead while battling a massive wildfire sweeping across South Korea’s southeastern region.
In addition to the firefighters, a civil servant was also confirmed dead, and six others sustained varying degrees of injury while battling the blaze, which forced around 1,500 residents to evacuate the region.
As gathered, over 9,000 staff members of the Korea Forest Service and 105 helicopters were deployed to quell the fire, which wiped out some 16,000 acres of forests and damaged residential buildings, including a temple.
According to reports, the fire, which started in Sancheong County three days ago, has since spread to three other areas, including Euiseong, North Gyeongsang province; the Ulju area of Ulsan City; and Gimhae, South Gyeongsang.
The civil protection authority commander, Andre Fernandes, who confirmed the casualties on Monday, described the situation as “calmer but still worrying and complex,” with multiple villages affected and teams dispersed across the area.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok has ordered the Forest Service “to do everything possible” to evacuate residents and secure the safety of workers fighting fires.
“I request that the Korea Forest Service pay special attention to securing the safety of personnel in charge of extinguishing wildfires in the air or on the ground,” Choi said, vowing to use all available resources to stop the fires.
So far, around 3,286 hectares of land, the size of about 4,600 soccer fields, have burned, with over 1,000 hectares destroyed in Euiseong in North Gyeongsang Province and Sancheong, each.
