1 Dead, Hundreds Flee Wildfire in South Korean Seaside City

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A wildfire fueled by strong winds on Tuesday burned parts of a seaside city on South Korea’s eastern coast, killing at least one person and forcing hundreds to flee before being slowed by rain.

It took eight hours and nearly 3,000 firefighters to put out the blaze that started on a mountain in a central part of Gangneung at around 8:30 a.m. and destroyed around 70 homes and other buildings.

More than 550 people evacuated to facilities that included an ice-skating arena and a middle school gym.

A man presumed to be in his 70s was found dead inside a burnt-down home while another resident and two firefighters sustained second-degree burns, officials said.

The Korea Forest Service said firefighters extinguished the blaze as of 4:30 p.m. , helped by rain that began in the afternoon.

Their efforts were initially slowed by powerful winds that made it difficult to fly water-dropping aircraft, but officials managed to deploy helicopters in the afternoon.

The Korea Meteorological Administration said winds in the Gangneung area were blowing at 103 kilometers (64 miles) per hour. The strong winds also forced railroad operators to cancel at least a dozen passenger trains between Gangneung and other eastern coastal cities like Donghae and Samcheok.

The fire covered more than 379 hectares (936 acres). Firefighters during the earlier part of their response focused on establishing barriers to prevent the flames from spreading to more populated areas of Gangneung.

Photos showed firefighters spraying water toward burning homes and buildings and large, orange flames engulfing a pine forest near a seaside resort hotel. The Korea Forest Service said that the fire was likely sparked by a tree that fell over a powerline after being snapped by strong winds.

Top photo: A local resident helped by a firefighter takes cows out of a village damaged by a wildfire in Gangneung, South Korea, Tuesday, April 11, 2023. Hundreds of South Koreans were forced to flee a wildfire fueled by strong winds that burned parts of an eastern coastal city Tuesday, destroying dozens of homes before being slowed by rain. (Hong Hae-in/Yonhap via AP)