South Korea is struggling to contain wildfires ravaging the country’s southeast after more than two dozen blazes broke out over the weekend, killing four people and forcing thousands to evacuate.
As of Sunday night, nearly 9,000 firefighters, police and civil servants and 120 helicopters had been dispatched to five areas to fight the fires. By Monday morning, firefighters facing the additional challenge of dry and windy conditions had quashed all but four of the blazes.
A spark from a lawn mower started the first wildfire, which ignited Friday afternoon in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang province, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of the capital Seoul, according to an Interior Safety Ministry situation report.
Four civil servants dispatched to fight the wildfire were killed, Yonhap news agency reported. As of Monday morning, the fire was not contained and had burned through more than 1,464 hectares (more than 3,600 acres), the Interior Safety Ministry reported.
Wildfires that broke out on Saturday in Euiseong, North Gyeongsang province; the Ulju area of Ulsan city; and Gimhae, South Gyeongsang remained active on Monday.
The fire in Euiseong was started by people paying tribute at a grave, and had torched 6,861 hectares (nearly 17,000 acres) as of Monday morning, according to the report.
More than 2,740 people were forced to evacuate due to the fires, the majority of whom were in shelters as of Monday morning. About 162 buildings have been damaged by the wildfires, including a temple in Euiseong.
On Saturday, then-acting prime minister Choi Sang-mok ordered the forest service “to do everything possible” to evacuate residents and secure the safety of workers fighting fires, according to his office.
The government declared a state of emergency for Ulsan city, South and North Gyeongsang provinces on Saturday.
Wildfires are not unusual in South Korea, particularly in February, March and April when conditions are driest.