Hamyang county: A wildfire in the southern county of Hamyang continued to blaze for the third consecutive day on Monday, as firefighting teams and forestry authorities worked tirelessly to extinguish the main fire within the day.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korea Forest Service reported that the fire had consumed 190 hectares since it ignited around 9 p.m. on Saturday. As of 5 a.m. on Monday, the containment rate stood at 32 percent. Efforts to control the blaze included deploying 105 firefighting vehicles and 603 personnel overnight to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby residential areas. However, the challenging sloping terrain and strong winds have impeded progress.

With daylight, the service announced that 51 helicopters would be dispatched to assist in the firefighting operation. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok visited the county in the early hours of Monday to oversee the firefighting efforts and offer support to the personnel on the ground, as noted by his office. He emphasized the importance of utilizing all available resources to contain the fire and later met with evacuees at a local gym, assuring them of relief and support.

The forest service had earlier declared a Level 2 wildfire response at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, a measure taken when anticipated damage exceeds 100 hectares, average wind speeds surpass 11 meters per second, or when the fire is expected to take more than 48 hours to contain. Additionally, the National Fire Agency issued a national firefighting mobilization order at 11:14 p.m. the same day, indicating that the fire's magnitude exceeded the local government's firefighting capacity.