MIRYANG, South Korea, May 31 (Yonhap) -- A wildfire that broke out on a hill in the southern city of Miryang early Tuesday is spreading fast, forcing authorities to evacuate over 470 residents in nearby villages.
The blaze broke out on the hill in Miryang, around 280 km southeast of Seoul, at 9:25 a.m. and is continuing to spread, driven by the dry weather and strong winds, according to firefighting authorities.
Close to noon, the Korea Forest Service upgraded its wildfire response level to the highest level of 3, issued when a fire is estimated to scorch over 100 hectares.
A total of 42 firefighting helicopters, along with 1,500 personnel, battled the blaze.
Firefighters erected containment lanes around the blaze to keep it from spreading into nearby villages, located about 180 meters from where the fire broke out.
More than 470 villagers near the area have been ordered to evacuate.
The fire is estimated to have burned nearly 150 ha of forestland so far, Korea Forest Service Minister Nam Sung-hyun said, pledging to mobilize all available resources to extinguish it by the end of the day.
"As there are many rivers and reservoirs nearby, we are highly likely to contain the main body of the fire before sundown," the minister said in a briefing near the scene.
Source: Yonhap News Agency