A wildfire in South Korea's southern Hamyang County has raged for a third day as firefighters and forestry officials race to contain the main blaze by the end of Monday. The fire, which broke out around 9 p.m. Saturday, has burned 190 hectares, with a containment rate of 32 percent as of 5 a.m. Monday.
The wildfire in Hamyang County, southern South Korea, broke out around 9 p.m. on Saturday and has scorched 190 hectares over three days. According to the Korea Forest Service, the containment rate stood at 32 percent as of 5 a.m. Monday, despite the deployment of 105 firefighting vehicles and 603 personnel overnight to prevent spread to residential areas. However, the sloping terrain and strong winds have hindered extinguishing efforts, and 51 helicopters are scheduled to arrive successively after daybreak.
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok visited the county early Monday to inspect firefighting operations at the Korea Forest Service's control center and encourage on-site personnel, his office said. He emphasized the full mobilization of all available resources for an all-out containment push and later met evacuees at a shelter in an indoor gymnasium, promising relief and support.
The Forest Service issued a Level 2 wildfire response order at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, triggered when damage exceeds 100 hectares, average wind speed tops 11 meters per second, or containment may take over 48 hours. The National Fire Agency followed with a national firefighting mobilization order at 11:14 p.m. that day, deeming the fire's scale beyond local government's capacity.
Authorities are focusing on protecting residents as the blaze continues amid challenging conditions.
