A seaside city in South Korea sees hundreds evacuating due to a wildfire
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A seaside city in South Korea sees hundreds evacuating due to a wildfire

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Wildfire in South Korea forces hundreds to evacuate

A wildfire fueled by strong winds burned parts of an eastern coastal city in South Korea on Tuesday, destroying dozens of homes and forcing hundreds to flee.

Officials said more than 2,300 firefighters and 300 vehicles were dispatched to fight the blaze that started on a mountain in a central part of Gangneung.

Around 70 homes and other buildings were destroyed, and more than 400 residents were evacuated to facilities that included an ice-skating arena and a middle school gym.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.

Smoke from a wildfire covers near a lake in Gangneung, South Korea

Efforts to control the fire

The Korea Forest Service said firefighters had put out about 65% of the fire as of 2:10 p.m.

It wasn’t immediately clear how long it would take them to bring the flames fully under control, as the high winds made it difficult to deploy water-dropping aircraft.

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Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in Gangneung, South Korea

The strong winds, which were blowing as hard as 64 miles per hour as of Tuesday afternoon, forced railroad operators to cancel at least a dozen passenger trains between Gangneung and other eastern coastal cities like Donghae and Samcheok.

Preventing further spread

The fire covered more than 914 acres, and firefighters were establishing barriers while focusing on preventing the flames from spreading to more populated areas of Gangneung.

The Korea Forest Service and the Gangwon provincial government are working together to control the fire.

Photos showed firefighters spraying water toward burning homes and buildings, with large, orange flames engulfing a pine forest near a seaside resort hotel.

President’s instructions

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol instructed officials to deploy “all available equipment and personnel” to swiftly extinguish the wildfire and evacuate residents to prevent the loss of life.

As efforts continue to control the blaze, it is hoped that no more lives are endangered or homes destroyed.

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