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| ▲ A chopper sprays water over a hill in Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province, on April 4, 2023, where a wildfire has continued for the third day. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo provided by a reader shows hills in Hampyeong, South Jeolla Province, ablaze with a wildfire on April 3, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
(2nd LD) wildfires-firefighters
(2nd LD) Main body of wildfires in central region brought under control
(ATTN: RECASTS headline; UPDATES throughout with latest info)
HONGSEONG/DAEJEON, South Korea, April 4 (Yonhap) -- Firefighters brought the main body of wildfires in the central region under control Tuesday three days after the blazes broke out, and burned down dozens of houses and factories.
The fire had been mostly under control as of 4 p.m., some 53 hours after it engulfed a hill in Hongseong, 114 kilometers south of Seoul, according to forestry authorities.
A total of 71 buildings, including 34 houses and 35 factories, were scorched, while 1,454 hectares of land were presumed to have been affected by the blaze.
Authorities said they were trying to completely put out the fire.
A separate wildfire in the nearby city of Daejeon had also been largely brought under control as of 4:40 p.m., according to authorities.
About a thousand firefighters and forestry personnel were, however, combating a wildfire in another nearby city, Dangjin, which continued for the third day Tuesday amid dry weather.
The fire extinguishing rate in the Dangjin wildfire stood at 98 percent, and more than 1,000 fire personnel were stepping up efforts to completely put out the fire.
The southern county of Hampyeong, 274 km south of Seoul, and the nearby city of Suncheon -- both in South Jeolla Province -- also saw wildfires that broke out on Monday spread further overnight.
Four factories, two livestock sheds and two greenhouses were burnt down by the Hampyeong fire and 43 residents were evacuated. The fire extinguishing rate stood at 60 percent as of 5 a.m., according to the Korea Forest Service.
The wildfire in Suncheon, meanwhile, has affected 382 ha of land, sending 89 villagers to evacuate.
Eight fire choppers were deployed after sunrise to bring the fire under control in Suncheon.
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