Seoul, March 30 (IANS) South Korea’s Police authorities said on Sunday that they have booked a man suspected of starting massive wildfires that ravaged the southeastern part of the country.
The 56-year-old man is accused of causing the fire at around 11:25 a.m. on March 22 while performing an ancestral rite at a family grave on a hill in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province, Yonhap news agency reported.
The fire then spread rapidly to nearby Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok for days due to gusty winds amid dry conditions, killing at least 26 in North Gyeongsang Province.
The wildfires also destroyed an estimated 4,000 structures, including Goun Temple — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — along with homes, factories and other facilities.
The suspect has denied the allegations against him, according to police.
The Korea Forest Service earlier announced the wildfires in North Gyeongsang Province had been fully brought under control as of 5 p.m. Friday before they reignited overnight Saturday.
About 48,000 hectares of woodland, equivalent to some 80 per cent of the size of Seoul, have been scorched in the worst wildfire disaster ever in South Korea, according to the forestry agency.
The fire that started in Sancheong County and spread to Mount Jiri National Park was mostly contained as of Sunday, with authorities battling to put out the remaining fire, which is 200 metres long, on the outskirts of the park.
Authorities deployed 50 helicopters, 1,473 personnel and 213 vehicles, starting at dawn, to extinguish the blaze, which was 99 per cent contained as of 8 a.m.
Police plan to conduct a joint investigation as early as next week in coordination with the National Institute of Forest Science, the National Forensic Service and the fire authorities.
–IANS
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