HADONG, March 12 (BAN): Major forest fires in Mount Jiri National Park in southern South Korea were extinguished 21 hours after they started, having burned more than 900,000 hectares of forest, authorities said.
A firefighter was killed responding to the blaze that broke out in the mountain town of Hadong, 286 kilometers south of Seoul, at 1:19 p.m., according to the Korea Forest Service (KFS).
According to Yonhap news agency, it spread to nearby areas before the main fire was extinguished.
The foundation said 75 residents were forced to evacuate their homes, but there were no reports of other injuries.
It added that the fire had destroyed an estimated 910,000 hectares of forest.
Authorities are working to put out the remaining fires and plan to launch an investigation into their cause, according to the agency.
NAA