Main blaze of wildfire in Daegu brought under control

Helicopters dump water on a mountain in Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province, as a wildfire continues for a second day. Yonhap

Firefighters brought the main blaze of a wildfire in the southeastern city of Daegu under control Tuesday, nearly 23 hours after the blaze broke out, forcing more than 2,000 residents to evacuate.

According to the Korea Forest Service, the fire began Monday afternoon on Mount Hamji in northern Daegu, about 230 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and was largely extinguished by around 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Authorities issued the highest-level wildfire response later Monday as the fire, fueled by strong winds, quickly spread toward nearby villages.

Although no casualties have been reported, the blaze prompted evacuations of more than 2,000 villagers and temporarily restricted traffic at a nearby highway interchange, which was reopened early Tuesday as conditions stabilized.

The fire scorched an area equivalent to 364 soccer fields, leaving approximately 260 hectares of the forest affected.

Officials warned that the damage assessment could rise pending further inspections.

Firefighting efforts initially struggled against high temperatures, dry weather, and strong winds, with the containment rate remaining at just 19 percent as of 8 p.m. Monday.

Authorities intensified their response overnight, deploying two night-flying helicopters, 1,515 personnel, and 398 pieces of firefighting equipment to battle the flames and build firebreaks.

Operations resumed at sunrise Tuesday, and the containment rate rose sharply, reaching 60 percent by 4 a.m. and 92 percent by 10 a.m., backed by calmer morning winds.