Miryang wildfire scorches more than 300 hectares as cause sought

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Miryang wildfire scorches more than 300 hectares as cause sought

Helicopters collect water from a river in Miryang Wednesday to put out a blaze in the city. [NEWS1]

Helicopters collect water from a river in Miryang Wednesday to put out a blaze in the city. [NEWS1]

 
A wildfire that began in Miryang Tuesday morning continued to sweep across the South Gyeongsang city on Wednesday, scorching more than 300 hectares (741 acres).
 
No casualties or structural damage were reported.
 
About 48 percent of the blaze had been extinguished by Wednesday at 9 a.m., said Nam Sung-hyun, minister of the Korea Forest Service (KFS).
 
Some 350 residents of Miryang, located 278 kilometers (173 miles) southeast of Seoul, were evacuated. About 400 inmates at the Miryang Detention Center were transferred to the Daegu Detention Center.
 
How the fire began remains unknown.
 
KFS officials said they suspect the fire started at around 9:25 a.m. Tuesday on a mountain before it spread across ridges, pushed by strong winds. Firefighters from Busan, Daegu, Ulsan and North Gyeongsang were quickly mobilized to assist with the firefighting.
 
Authorities Wednesday said their goal was to extinguish the main blaze that day.
 
KFS Minister Nam told local reporters that firefighters were struggling to put the flames out due to the dry weather and rugged mountains. The lack of forest trails was also hampering efforts to mobilize firefighting equipment, Nam said.
 
At least 1,600 firefighters were said to be tackling the flames across eight zones, while hundreds of soldiers were dispatched to homes, hospitals and Buddhist temples to inspect for possible damage.
 
Kang In-sun, President Yoon Suk-yeol’s spokesperson, quoted Yoon as commanding the KFS and relevant government agencies to swiftly mobilize all available equipment and manpower to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible, while making sure that flames don’t reach villages, farms, cultural sites and national infrastructure.
 
Officials probing the cause of the blaze said it appeared to have been man-made, as with most wildfires, though further investigation would be needed.
 
Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min traveled to Miryang Tuesday and presided over a meeting to check on the progress.

BYANDAE-HUN,LEESUNG-EUN[lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]
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