Gangneung Wildfires

[Anchor Lead]

The wildfires that broke out in Gangneung and Samcheok in Gangwon-do Province have been completely extinguished as of Tuesday, three days after the fires first started. However, vast areas of forest were consumed and at least one person lost his life.

[Pkg]

Blazing flames spread along the mountain ridge. Although strong winds reignited them time and time again, the stubborn forest fires in Gangwon-do Province were finally contained yesterday. The fires were extinguished three days after they first started on Saturday, May 6th. Roughly 30,000 personnel were deployed to fight the wildfires in Gangneung and Samcheok. 142 helicopters also took part in the firefighting efforts.

[Soundbite] Bae Sam-jae(Pilot, Firefighting Helicopter) : "Aircraft are deployed to extinguish leftover fires and prevent reignition in inaccessible areas."

The areas where fires swept through were completely devastated. The fires burned down 327 hectares of forest areas - 270 hectares in Samcheok and 57 hectares in Gangneung. The total area is equivalent to 457 football fields. 37 houses were also burned down, leaving 79 residents displaced from their homes. hose who lost their homes overnight have no idea how they will live from now on.

[Soundbite] Kim Seung-ki(Displaced Resident) : "What can I do now? How can the residents survive? All I had was one house."

Casualties included a 47-year-old mechanic who died in a helicopter crash. Starting tomorrow, the forest management authority plans to investigate the cause of the wildfires and assess the exact magnitude of the damage.