Wildfires spread in S. Korea amid strong winds over weekend

Last weekend, wildfires across South Korea killed four workers including firefighters and caused the evacuation of more than 1-thousand people.

Choi Soo-hyung reports.

Houses completely burned down, with collapsed roofs and blackened walls.

In Sancheong-gun County, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, the whole of Oegong Village was covered in smoke over the weekend, and six houses were destroyed.

"The fire sparks were flying in all directions. With strong winds in the afternoon, the fire spread across the river."

The wildfire started last Friday afternoon on a hillside in Sancheong-gun County and spread rapidly due to strong winds.

Four government workers from Changnyeong-gun County died while fighting the fire, and the county has declared a mourning period until March 27th.

An area of around 13 square kilometers, about the size of 1,900 football fields, has been reduced to ashes.

The fire spread to the nearby Hadong-gun County, burning a ginkgo tree, which was over 900 years old and a national heritage.

As of Sunday, 65 percent of the fire had been contained.

Large wildfires also broke out in other parts of the country, including Uiseong-gun County in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and Ulju-gun in Ulsan over the weekend.

The total area burned is about 32 square kilometers, roughly the size of 4,600 football fields.

Nearly 40 homes have been destroyed, and over 1,500 residents have been temporarily evacuated.

The Cultural Heritage Administration has confirmed that three national heritage sites, including the ginkgo tree, have been destroyed in the fire.

Currently, the government is deploying over 100 helicopters and more than 9,000 personnel to put out the fires.

The cause of the wildfires has not been determined yet as the firefighting efforts are ongoing, but they are tentatively believed to be accidental caused by acts such as welding and tomb sweeping.

The Korea Meteorological Administration said that the wildfires were made worse by the severe dryness in forested areas and strong spring gusts.

On Sunday, Acting President Choi Sang-mok declared Sancheong-gun County, the hardest-hit area, a special disaster zone and is considering declaring Uiseong-gun and Ulju-gun counties disaster zones as well.

Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News.