South Korea: Evacuation order widens as firefighting efforts continue against Sancheong wildfire

Changwon, March 22 (IANS) More villages were placed under an evacuation order Saturday as strong winds impeded firefighting operations against a wildfire that broke out in the southeastern county of Sancheong, officials said.

The county office in Sancheong notified residents and visitors in eight nearby towns to immediately evacuate to a safe area at 3 p.m., Yonhap news agency reported.

The move came a day after the county office ordered 213 residents in seven villages hit by the wildfire to evacuate to a nearby research centre.

A resident in one of the seven villages hit by the wildfire received hospital treatment after inhaling smoke but no other casualties were reported.

As of 3 p.m., 65 per cent of the blaze had been extinguished, down from 70 per cent at 10:30 a.m. The area affected by the wildfire had also expanded to 290 hectares.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok ordered relevant agencies to make the utmost effort to mobilise all possible equipment and personnel to put out the blaze before sunset.

He also urged safety for residents, as well as firefighting authorities deployed to the scene, stressing that seamless preparations should take place should the blaze continue overnight.

Authorities issued the highest level of response measures to put out the blaze, about three hours after the fire first broke out at 3:26 p.m. Friday.

Authorities plan to determine the exact cause of the blaze after extinguishing it. A person who first reported the fire was confirmed to have said that a spark started the fire during mowing.

–IANS

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