고성 산불 강풍 타고 확산… 주민 수천명 대피
We start with the massive wildfire engulfing large part of a county in Gangwon-do Province.
The fire agency says it has issued it highest level 3 alert -- a level restricted to incident affecting the entire nation.
Our Ko Roon-hee is on the line for us.
Roon-hee, what's the latest?
Hi mark, the fire broke out on Thursday evening in Goseong-gun in northeastern Gangwon-do Province around 7-P.M., Korea time.
When I spoke to the Gangwon Fire Headquarters this morning, the agency said a spark at a transformer near a resort spread to the mountain...and firefighters are still tackling the blaze.
Although it didn't confirm details such as the exact number of deaths or injuries...local news outlets are reporting that at least one person was killed and around ten injured.
Thousands of residents and soldiers have evacuated to schools or gymnasiums.
Around two-hundred fifty hectares of forest have been burned so far.
That's similar to the size of the Seoul's financial district Yeouido.
Officials say the strong winds are making the fire spread quickly...reaching 5 kilometers per hour.
A strong wind warning was issued earlier for the province...and the fire has spread to the city of Sokcho...and 25 schools are shut down temporarily.
And late last night, a mountain fire also broke out in the city of Gangneung...and it is spreading to areas near the East Sea.
News outlets are reporting that some Mugunghwa trains departing from Gangneung are halted due to the fire.
What are fire authorities and related officials doing to deal with the current situation?
Fire authorities are doing all they can to solve the crisis.
Almost 3-thousand people are gathering in Sokcho to help in efforts to extinguish the fire.
The National Fire Agency says 30 helicopters will be deployed for searching the injured.
And because the wind is so strong, an official from the Gangwon-do Province added...they are focused on minimizing the number of deaths or injuries.
The firefighting process is expected to ramp up as it gets brighter in the day.
That's all from me at this hour, Mark.
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