Firefighters close to extinguishing large fire in Gangneung

Wind-fed forest fires that broke out in Gangneung and Sangju have been almost put out, but firefighters are struggling to contain another blaze in the mountainous region of Gangwon Province, the government said Sunday.

The Korea Forest Service said firefighters were hosing down the remaining flames from the blaze that broke out in Gangneung on the east coast and Sangju in North Gyeongsang. 

"While winds have picked up coming into the afternoon, most of the fires have come under control in the two regions," authorities said.

They, however, said workers are having a hard time getting close to the fire in Samcheok because of bad roads and the relatively high elevation of the main fire.

The forest service said that high winds are further complicating the situation there, with only 30 percent of the blaze having been put out, close to 30 hours after the fire was first detected.

It said for the Samcheok fire alone some 23 helicopters have been employed along with 2,300 workers. About 30 residents near the fire have been evacuated as a precaution, while a firewall has been created near a local cement factory to protect the property.

The forestry service conceded that earlier efforts to put out the fire failed, and there is a chance that the fire may not be extinguished till Monday.

In regards to the fires in Gangneung and Sangju, some private homes and large areas of forest were lost to the flames, with 311 local resident from Gangneung having been evacuated earlier, it said.

The Gangneung fire started on a hill near Daegwallyeong, a major mountain pass on the Taebaek Mountain range, at around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

The government had sent some 20 helicopters and thousands of people, including firefighters, soldiers, police officers and government officials, to contain the fire. (Yonhap)