A forest fire charred mountain areas the size of 730 football fields in a northeastern town close to the inter-Korean border for two days, firefighting officials said Monday.
The fire occurred in Yanggu, 175 km northeast of Seoul and about 20 km south of the border with North Korea, on Sunday afternoon and spread rapidly due to strong winds, burning an estimated 521 hectares until Monday morning, Yonhap News Agency quoted the officials as saying.
No casualties have been reported so far as authorities have mobilized all possible resources, including 27 helicopters and about 1,300 personnel, to protect private houses and facilities, including Buddhist temples, from the raging fires.
