ZCZC
BFF-20
SKOREA-FIRE-DISASTER
Seoul declares national disaster as winds fan giant forest fire
SEOUL, April 5, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – A giant forest fire swept across swathes
of South Korea Friday, as authorities declared a rare national disaster,
deploying 900 fire engines and tens of thousands of personnel to bring it
under control.
Apocalyptic images on television and social media showed walls of flame
lighting up the night, buildings engulfed in flames, and clouds of smoke
billowing across hillsides during the day.
The blaze broke out late Thursday alongside a road in the town of Goseong,
in the far northeast of the country and only around 45 kilometres (28 miles)
from the border with the nuclear-armed North.
Fanned by strong winds it quickly spread through the mountainous area,
incinerating 400 homes and 500 hectares of land, according to the government.
Nearly 4,000 people were evacuated and one person died, authorities said,
while 11 were injured.
More than 870 fire engines and some 10,000 emergency personnel were
dispatched to fight the blaze, the National Fire Agency said.
The military sent 32 helicopters, along with fire engines of its own and
16,500 soldiers, to help.
“Fortunately, the main fire has been brought under control,” provincial
governor Choi Moon-soon said in a radio interview with YTN, but added that
others were still burning.
The central government declared a state of national disaster, entitling
affected areas to special assistance including goods and equipment, and
banning entry to dangerous zones.
The last time Seoul made such a declaration was in 2007, when a crude oil
carrier leaked thousands of tonnes of oil into the sea off the west coast.
President Moon Jae-in told officials to take all measures necessary to
battle the inferno, and to liaise with North Korean authorities if the fire
approaches the border, the presidential office said.
BSS/AFP/GMR/1222 hrs