SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Firefighters were scrambling Monday to contain wildfires across South Korea as a dry spell led to blazes in multiple regions, including on a mountain popular with hikers in central Seoul.
A fire broke out Sunday morning on Mount Inwang, a popular outdoor destination in Seoul’s Jongno district, and spread rapidly due to strong winds, the city government said in a statement.
About 120 households were forced to evacuate, but no deaths or injuries were reported, it added.
Firefighters using helicopters were still struggling to extinguish smoldering fires early Monday, the statement said, although the main blaze was put out Sunday evening.
Authorities planned to investigate the cause of the fire once it was completely extinguished, Yonhap news agency reported.
On Monday, firefighting authorities were also battling strong winds and smoke in an effort to contain wildfires across Chungcheong province, south of Seoul.
More than 60 homes and buildings were damaged by fire and at least 236 people were evacuated in Hongseong county in the south of Chungcheong, according to the Korea Forest Service.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday ordered fire and forest authorities to use “all possible resources” to put out the fires, his office said.
© Agence France-Presse
