At least three firefighters and one government official have been confirmed dead in South Korea due to the over 20 wildfires that were spreading across the country on Saturday. The firefighters were attempting to control a blaze in Sancheong County, which had already burned through 500 hectares of land by Saturday evening. Sancheong, located in South Gyeongsang Province, is approximately 250 kilometers south-east of Seoul.

According to officials, close to 1,600 firefighters, along with 35 helicopters and numerous vehicles, were dispatched to battle the fire. However, because of the challenging mountainous landscape and strong winds, only 35% of the fire had been contained. More than 200 residents from 15 villages were advised to evacuate.

South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok commanded the relevant agencies to fully utilize available resources and personnel to swiftly extinguish the fires. In response, the government declared North and South Gyeongsang provinces, as well as the city of Ulsan, as disaster zones. Other areas in the central and southern regions were also affected by wildfires, as reported by the Korea Forest Service.

The agency implemented their highest-level “severe” fire warnings in 12 locations, including North and South Gyeongsang provinces, Busan, and Daejeon. As a result of the fires, several segments of highways in the southeastern part of the country, including one connecting Ulsan and Busan (the nation’s second-largest city), were closed.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/wildfires-in-south-korea-turn-deadly-prompt-evacuations/a-72005968?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf