Hadong: The main flames of a wildfire in the southern county of Hadong were contained Tuesday, a day after the blaze reignited in a region recently afflicted by the nation's worst wildfires in history.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the main fires were extinguished around noon, nearly 24 hours after the fire initially broke out at 12:05 p.m. on Monday. The Korea Forest Service reported these developments as they continued their efforts to manage the situation.
The forest service had issued a fire response Level 2 and deployed 36 helicopters along with additional personnel to battle the fire. Despite these efforts, they were unable to get the major flames under control before sunset on Monday. As night fell, authorities increased their resources, mobilizing 72 pieces of equipment and 667 personnel to continue the firefighting operation overnight. Following sunrise, 31 helicopters were put into operation to assist in containing the fire.
Officials stated that the fire forced 506 residents to evacuate to a nearby school for safety. Authorities suspect that the fire may have been started by a man in his 70s working with a turf cutter. They plan to investigate the exact cause once the blaze is completely extinguished.