The South Korean government declared a state of national disaster on March 22 due to large-scale forest fires that have swept through the city of Ulsan and southeastern regions.
Points of attention
- South Korea has declared a state of national disaster due to large-scale forest fires in Ulsan and southeastern regions.
- Efforts are being made to extinguish the fires, evacuate residents, and allocate maximum resources to combat the ongoing natural disaster.
- The fires have spread rapidly, with strong winds making firefighting challenging, leading to evacuation of hundreds of residents and tragic loss of two firefighters.
South Korea declares state of emergency
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Security, the measure took effect on Saturday in the city of Ulsan in Gyeongsang Province.
The announcement was made on the recommendation of Acting President Choi Sang-mok to implement comprehensive measures to combat the natural disaster. He has already visited the scene and ordered relevant agencies to make maximum efforts to mobilize all possible equipment and personnel to put out the fire before sunset.
Hundreds of residents of Sancheon County were evacuated as strong winds hampered firefighting efforts.
As of 3:00 p.m. local time, 65% of the fires were contained, compared to 70% at 10:30 a.m. The fire area has also increased to 290 hectares.
Local authorities also reported that two firefighters were found dead.
Authorities plan to determine the exact cause of the fire after it is extinguished. It has been confirmed that the person who first reported the fire said that the fire was started by a spark while mowing the grass.
