Seoul: The National Fire Agency (NFA) issued an emergency response order Monday to mobilize available national personnel and equipment to put out a fire spreading in the southeastern city of Daegu, officials said. The NFA issued the order about two hours after the blaze began around 2 p.m. on Mount Hamji in the city some 230 kilometers southeast of Seoul and was spreading toward nearby villages.

According to Yonhap News Agency, under the emergency order, the fire authorities have mobilized 28 additional fire engines to aid efforts to extinguish the blaze on top of 67 fire engines and 29 fire helicopters that had already been in operation. No casualties have been reported so far, but nearby residents have been instructed to evacuate to local elementary schools.

The Korea Forest Service also issued a Level 3 wildfire response, the highest in its three-tier scale, as strong winds continued to spread the flames. A Level 3 response is issued when wind speeds exceed 7 meters per second, the expected damage area is over 100 hectares and firefighting efforts are expected to last over 24 hours.

As of 6 p.m., some 57 hectares of land had been affected by the fire, with the containment rate remaining at 14.5 percent, according to fire authorities.