Dry weather ignites wildfires

[Anchor]

A fire that broke out in the mountains of Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, was extinguished after 18 hours yesterday evening (Feb. 21).

In addition, wildfires occurred across the country due to dry weather.

Reporter Jo Yeon-joo has the story.

[Report]

Flames blaze along the ridge of the mountain.

The fire spreads here and there, driven by strong winds.

The fire started around 7 PM yesterday in a mountain area of Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province.

Forest authorities urgently deployed equipment and personnel to fight the fire, but they faced difficulties in initial suppression due to the steep and rugged terrain, as well as the challenges of nighttime helicopter operations.

[Park Seok-joo/Jeongseon County Wildfire Prevention Team Member: "The terrain is rugged, and since it was nighttime, it was actually difficult to go up. If someone goes up first and makes a mistake, rocks can roll down."]

The wildfire continued to spread overnight, approaching nearby homes, prompting residents to evacuate to the village hall at one point.

[Son Dal-yeon/Yeoryang-myeon, Jeongseon County: "(The fire is) too close to the house, so I can't sleep right now, I'm anxious. The fire drops down and spreads quickly."]

As dawn broke, over ten helicopters were deployed to fight the fire, along with more than 50 pieces of equipment and around 300 personnel.

The fire burned 30 hectares of forest and was extinguished around 1 PM, 18 hours after it started.

Forest authorities believe the fire started from sparks flying from a wood-burning stove in a house near the mountain.

In Daejeon, a fire broke out in the mountains this afternoon (Feb. 22) and was extinguished in two hours, while another fire in Chuncheon was contained within an hour, as wildfires continued to occur across the country due to dry weather.

This is KBS News, Jo Yeon-joo.