Forest fire in Gangwon border town 95% extinguished

Firefighting helicopters drop water on wildfires in Yanggu, northeastern Korea, April 11. (Yonhap)

Firefighting authorities mobilized all available manpower and equipment Tuesday to contain the main fires in the northeastern border town of Yanggu, which has been hit by a large-scale forest fire that has been burning for three days.

According to the Korea Forest Service (KFS), 95 percent of the fires had been extinguished as of 6:30 a.m. in Yanggu, 175 kilometers northeast of Seoul and about 20 km south of the border with North Korea.

The authorities deployed 30 helicopters and 788 firefighting personnel shortly after sunrise to completely put out the wildfires, KFS officials said.

The forest fire, which began Sunday afternoon, has burned 720 hectares of woodland, but there have been no casualties or significant damage to facilities.

The fire was reportedly caused by a resident burning fallen leaves in the mountainous town in Gangwon Province. A dry weather advisory has been in effect across Gangwon amid strong winds.

Meanwhile, in Gunwi, a southeastern town just north of Daegu, a wildfire has also scorched 347 hectares for three days until Tuesday morning. The fire has been 75 percent extinguished.

Authorities mobilized 37 helicopters and 1,200 personnel to fight the Gunwi wildfire from early morning, officials said, adding there have been no reports of casualties or damage to houses or other buildings. (Yonhap)