A mountain fire in Busan that started Tuesday burned about 20 hectares of forest before it was fully extinguished at around 9:10 a.m. Wednesday, Busan Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters said.
The fire started at around 3:18 p.m. on Tuesday at Unbongsan, located in the heavily populated Haeundae-gu. The blaze soon spread toward Gochon-ri, a small town in Gijang-gun, as strong winds fanned the flames.
Busan Fire Department dispatched 17 helicopters and 1,200 personnel Tuesday, but failed to extinguish the fire due to the strong winds and low humidity.
As the fire continued through the night, residents of 180 households, 48 patients at a nursing home near the mountain and students at Dong-Pusan College were evacuated. No casualties have been reported.
As helicopters were pulled out after sunset, fire climbed up the mountain.
Firefighting resumed at around 6 a.m. on Wednesday with the dispatch of 19 helicopters and 3,300 personnel. The fire was put out completely at around 9:10 a.m.
By Park Ju-young (jupark@heraldcorp.com)
