Hundreds flee wildfire in South Korea: One dead

Smoke from a wildfire near a lake in Gangneung, South Korea. Photo / AP

A wildfire fuelled by strong winds tonight has burned parts of a seaside city on South Korea’s eastern coast, killing at least one person and forcing hundreds to flee before being slowed by rain.

It took eight hours and nearly 3000 firefighters to put out the blaze that started on a mountain in a central part of Gangneung around 8.30am, local time. and destroyed around 70 homes and other buildings.

More than 550 people were evacuated to facilities that included an ice-skating arena and a middle school gym.

A man thought to be in his 70s was found dead inside a burned-down home while another resident and two firefighters suffered second-degree burns, officials said.

The Korea Forest Service said firefighters extinguished the blaze at 4.30pm, helped by rain that began in the afternoon.

Their efforts were initially slowed by powerful winds that made it difficult to fly water-dropping aircraft, but officials managed to deploy helicopters in the afternoon.

Local residents stand near the fire. Photo / AP

The Korea Meteorological Administration said winds in the Gangneung area were blowing at 103km/h. The strong winds also forced railroad operators to cancel at least a dozen passenger trains between Gangneung and other eastern coastal cities like Donghae and Samcheok.

The fire covered more than 378 hectares. Firefighters focused on establishing barriers to prevent the flames from spreading to more populated areas of Gangneung early on.

Photos showed firefighters spraying water towards burning homes and buildings and large, orange flames engulfing a pine forest near a seaside resort hotel. The Korea Forest Service said the fire was likely sparked by a tree that fell over a powerline after being snapped by strong winds.