South Korea's Major Wildfires in Gyeongsang Provinces Fully Extinguished

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in South Korea announced on March 30 that all the main ignition points of the large - scale wildfires that had been raging in Gyeongsangnam - do and Gyeongsangbuk - do had been completely extinguished.

The head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said on the same day that it was estimated that the casualties and property losses caused by this severe wildfire would be the most serious in South Korea's history.

According to the statistics of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of 21:00 local time on the 30th, the wildfires had caused 30 deaths, 45 injuries, destroyed more than 3,500 houses, and damaged 30 national heritage sites. The total area affected by the wildfires reached more than 48,000 hectares.

The South Korean government is providing assistance to the affected people by distributing emergency living support funds and plans to meet the housing needs of the affected people by building relocation communities.

This large - scale wildfire in South Korea started in Sancheong County, Gyeongsangnam - do on the 21st. Another wildfire broke out in Uiseong County, Gyeongsangbuk - do on the 22nd. Driven by strong winds, the wildfires quickly spread to multiple cities and counties such as Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, and Yeongdeok, developing into the largest - scale forest fire in South Korea's history.