Main fires of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province wildfires contained: Korea Forest Service

The massive wildfires in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province have finally been put out.

Authorities say the main fire, which started in Uiseong-gun county, is now extinguished.

It's been a tough battle during the past seven days.

Shin Ha-young has our top story.

A week after wildfires broke out in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, authorities declared that the main blazes in the region were contained as improved visibility and cooler temperatures from overnight rain helped firefighters put out the main fires.

The Korea Forest Service announced on Friday that the all main blazes in Andong City, Uiseong, Cheongsong, Yeongdeok, and Yeongyang-gun counties had been fully brought under control.

"As of 5:00 PM on March 28, all the main fires in Uiseong, Andong, Cheongsong, and Yeongyang have been extinguished, starting with Yeongdeok at 2:30 PM."

This comes after more than 5-thousand-500 personnel and 89 firefighting helicopters were deployed on Friday to fully contain the wildfire in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.

By midday on Friday, the overall containment rate across the region had reached 94 percent, a 32-percentage-point increase from the previous afternoon.

No additional casualties have been reported as of Friday evening.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as of 6AM, the wildfires had killed at least 28 and injured 37 others nationwide.

The disaster has displaced around 33-thousand residents, with more than 8-thousand still unable to return home.

Nearly 3-thousand-5-hundred structures were damaged.

"I saw the flames approaching my house—everything was glowing red. I grabbed what I could and ran When I came back, it was all gone. The fire was still burning."

The wildfire is the largest in South Korea’s history, burning approximately 4-hundred 80 square kilometers—nearly 80 percent the size of Seoul.

With the main fires contained, the Korea Forest Service said efforts will now focus on extinguishing any remaining embers.

It has also set the period until mid-May as the spring wildfire prevention and response period.

It emphasized that, while the risk of more wildfires remains, it will stay vigilant and continue its full efforts to prevent and respond to them.

Shin Ha-young, Arirang News.