A helicopter extinguishes a wildfire in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province, March 23. Yonhap
Authorities will intensively deploy helicopters to battle the deadly wildfires that have engulfed the southeastern county of Sancheong for the fourth consecutive day Monday, as the blaze is spreading to the adjacent Hadong County, officials said.
As many as 36 helicopters were deployed to the two counties in South Gyeongsang Province, about 250 kilometers southeast of Seoul, beginning Monday morning, to contain the wildfires, according to the provincial government.
On the ground, 2,341 firefighters and soldiers were deployed to prevent the forest fires from spreading to houses and facilities, the government noted.
The defense ministry said that some 1,350 troops from the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force, as well as 35 choppers, have been mobilized to help contain the wildfire and provide medical aid.
The ministry has ordered on-site commanders to prioritize the safety of deployed troops and for military units to take extra caution when conducting firing drills to prevent fires, ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyou told a regular press briefing.
The Sancheong wildfire, which began last Friday, has claimed the lives of four firefighters, injured six people, and burned down 16 houses, two factories, nine warehouses and two Buddhist temples. The fire then spread to Hadong, leaving 589 people of 387 households in both counties displaced, the government said.
It said firefighters had contained 70 percent of the wildfires in Sancheong as of 6 a.m. Monday. (Yonhap)
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