Residents in South Korean county of Hadong advised to evacuate as wildfire spreads
Hadong(The Uttam Hindu): Residents in the southern county of Hadong in South Korea were advised to evacuate to safe locations on Monday, as firefighters battled to contain a wildfire in the region, according to authorities. The fire erupted at a mountain in Hadong, some 290 kms southeast of Seoul, at 12:05 p.m., according to the Korea Forest Service. Hadong is one of the regions devastated by the nation's worst wildfires that were contained late last month.
The Korea Forest Service mobilised 15 firefighting helicopters and 105 personnel to put out the latest wildfire. A man in his 70s was taken to a hospital with burns on both hands after attempting to put out the fire himself, according to the forest service. Authorities suspect the man started the fire while working with a turf cutter, and plan to look into the exact cause of the blaze after it is extinguished, Yonhap news agency reported. Earlier in the day, the South Korean government warned that a forecast of strong wind early this week could increase the risk of another massive wildfire outbreak in eastern coastal regions.
Lee Han-kyung, deputy chief of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, issued the warnings, as authorities contained the nation's worst-ever wildfires late last month. "We expect very speedy winds similar to the ones seen during the wildfires in North Gyeongsang Province early this week," Lee said. "Please abide by rules to prevent wildfires, such as taking extra caution with even a small spark, and refraining from possessing fire-related gear or illegal incineration," Lee said. According to the interior ministry, strong winds of up to 20 metres per second (mps) are expected to hit the coastal areas from 6 p.m. until Tuesday noon, and over 25 mps of wind in the mountainous regions of Gangwon Province.
In response, the Korea Forest Service and the National Fire Agency will deploy firefighting forces and helicopters in Gangwon Province and North Gyeongsang Province's east coast areas.
