On Tuesday, a wildfire broke out in a mountainous area of Gangneung, a seaside city on South Korea's eastern coast. The fire was fueled by strong winds, which made it difficult for firefighters to control. The blaze destroyed around 70 buildings, including homes. One person, believed to be in their 70s, was found dead inside a burnt-down home, while two firefighters and another resident sustained second-degree burns. Over 550 people were forced to evacuate to facilities such as an ice-skating arena and a middle school gym.
The Korea Forest Service reported that it took almost 3,000 firefighters eight hours to extinguish the fire, which covered an area of over 379 hectares. Despite the wind making it difficult to fly water-dropping aircraft, helicopters were eventually deployed to aid the efforts. The Korea Meteorological Administration reported that winds in the area were blowing at 103 kilometers per hour. The strong winds caused railway operators to cancel at least twelve passenger trains between Gangneung and other eastern coastal cities.
Firefighters focused on establishing barriers to prevent the flames from spreading to more populated areas of Gangneung. Photos showed firefighters spraying water towards burning buildings and large orange flames engulfing a pine forest near a seaside resort hotel. The Korea Forest Service believes that the fire was started when a tree fell over a powerline after being snapped by the strong winds. The blaze was eventually slowed down by rain that began in the afternoon.