Firefighters battle wildfires in S.Korea for 3rd day

SEOUL: Thousands of firefighters and forest personnel were combating wildfires on Tuesday in South Korea's South Chungcheong province and the nearby city of Daejeon that have continued for the third day.

The wildfires in the county of Hongseong, 114 km south of Seoul, and the nearby cities of Dangjin and Daejeon broke out on Sunday when a dry weather warning was issued in the region, and still remain unextinguished, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Some 1,800 firefighting personnel, along with 19 fire choppers, were deployed overnight through the morning to combat the wildfire in Hongseong, but the blaze spread further due to strong winds.

The fire extinguishing rate for the Hongseong wildfire stood at 67 per cent as of 5 a.m., and 1,452 hectares of land were presumed to have been affected by the blaze.

Nearly 3,000 personnel and 188 fire engines and gear will be sent to the scene on Tuesday to bring the main body of the fire under control, forestry officials said.

Fifteen fire helicopters were separately deployed to fight the wildfire in Daejeon after sunrise, authorities also said, adding 953 personnel and a total of 85 fire engines and gear will be mobilized Tuesday to combat the fire there.

The fire extinguishing rate in the Dangjin wildfire, meanwhile, stood at 98 per cent, and more than 1,000 fire personnel were stepping up efforts to completely put out the fire.

The southern county of Hampyeong, 274 km south of Seoul, and the nearby city of Suncheon -- both in South Jeolla province -- also saw wildfires that broke out on Monday spread further overnight.

Four factories, two livestock sheds and two greenhouses were burnt down by the Hampyeong fire and 43 residents were evacuated. The fire extinguishing rate stood at 60 per cent as of 5 a.m., according to the Korea Forest Service.

The wildfire in Suncheon, meanwhile, has affected 382 ha of land, sending 89 villagers to evacuate.

Eight fire choppers were deployed after sunrise to bring the fire under control in Suncheon.