A forest fire that broke out in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, Monday was put out Tuesday, after burning through 5 hectares of forest in two days.
The fire started near a hillside road in Seungju-eup, a small town in Suncheon, at around 4:09 p.m. Monday. The fire soon spread through the mountain, fanned by strong wind.
The fire started near a hillside road in Seungju-eup, a small town in Suncheon, at around 4:09 p.m. Monday. The fire soon spread through the mountain, fanned by strong wind.
No casualties have been reported as the fire occurred in a remote area, away from populated areas.
Korea Forest Service dispatched seven helicopters and 15 fire engines Monday, but the firefighters struggled to extinguish the fire due to the strong wind. As helicopters were pulled out at night, firefighters focused on preventing the blaze from spreading further by creating fire lines.
Firefighting resumed at 6 a.m. on Tuesday with 600 personnel, 10 helicopters and eight fire engines.
As the wind calmer than Monday, the fire was almost completely extinguished as of 8 a.m. The firefighters and government employees are now working on putting out small flames.
By Park Ju-young (jupark@heraldcorp.com)
