SEOUL: More than 500 people evacuated from their homes in South Korea’s eastern coastal city of Gangneung as strong winds fanned a wildfire on Tuesday (Apr 11), officials said, but fears of a further spread eased as rain helped firefighters battle the blaze.
The fire, which started at around 8.30am local time in Gangneung, was mostly extinguished as of 4.30pm after consuming 170ha of land and prompting the evacuation of about 550 residents in the city of more than 200,000 people, the Korea Forest Service said.
The fire injured three people, including two firefighters, and destroyed dozens of buildings, the national forestry agency said.
The fire appears to have started after strong winds blew a tree over onto live overhead power cables, igniting flames, officials said.