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Wildfire in South Korea forces thousands to evacuate

Fire near Goseong South Korea
Fire near Goseong in South Korea. Screengrab from MBC video.

A wildfire described as the worst to hit South Korea in years was pushed by a strong wind from city to city Thursday, prompting President Moon Jae-in to declare a national emergency.

At least one person was killed by the fire while another died after being struck by falling object pushed over by the wind. Eleven people were treated for injuries.

The fire started Thursday night near Goseong, a city on the east coast about 15 miles south of the border with North Korea.

Below is an excerpt from an article published Friday at NPR:

The main fire is now nearly under control according to President Moon Jae-in, who visited the area Friday. Taking note of the hundreds of homes and buildings that have reportedly been destroyed, Moon urged government officials to “take extra care of displaced victims who — after having lost their homes in an instant — may now find time to catch their breath.”

“Moon’s office said he would cooperate with North Korea on fighting the fire if it spread northward,” NPR’s Anthony Kuhn reports from Seoul. “But as it happened, the winds were blowing to the south.”

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Friday approximately 135 homes and 525 hectares (1,297 acres) burned. About 60 helicopters, 300 vehicles and 17,700 firefighting personnel were being deployed, the ministry said.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Rick. Typos or errors, report them HERE.

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