Gangneung Okgye wildfire that started as 'arson' spreads to the East Sea... 1 person died

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The situation in Gangneung and the East Sea is also dire.

As the wind continued to spread, an evacuation order was issued for residents.

Reporter Jo Ki-hyun of G1 Broadcasting, tell us about the situation.

<Reporter>

Yes, the situation of the Okgye forest fire in Gangneung is quite worrisome.

The forest fire that occurred in Okgye, Gangneung, at dawn today (the 5th) spread to Mukho through Mangsang and Balhan-dong in the East Sea with strong winds, and an evacuation order was issued for residents.

Currently, 1,400 people, 114 firefighting vehicles, and 5 forest fire-fighting helicopters are working to extinguish the fire in all directions, but the fire is rapidly moving south with strong winds.

So far, the forest authorities estimate that 500 ha of forest has been lost in the East Sea alone.

The city of Donghae closes all the windows of houses, and young people are urged to use indoor fire hydrants and emergency fire extinguishers to extinguish the flying flames.

In the midst of a series of residential fire damage, the Bugok three-way intersection at the Nobong three-way intersection on the 7th National Road was also controlled following the Donghae IC section from the Okgye IC of the Donghae Expressway.

In addition, all railway lines such as KTX and Mugunghwa were also suspended.

While the Okgye forest fire in Gangneung, which spread to the East Sea, was found to have been arson by a man in his 60s, an 86-year-old Kim, who was injured in the process of evacuating the forest fire, died while receiving treatment.

Police have secured statements from villagers that the man in his 60s, who confessed to the arson, is the son of Mr. Kim, who died, and is investigating the details of the circumstances.

Previously, the Gangneung Seongsan wildfire that occurred around 10:45 last night has not been extinguished yet.

While 3 hectares of forest have been burned so far, 50 families of Seongsan-myeon residents have been evacuated to nearby villages.

Although strong winds and dryness warnings are being maintained throughout the mountainous regions of Gangwon-do, the fire department and forestry authorities plan to mobilize all personnel and equipment to extinguish the flames.