S. Korea president calls for safety of firefighters

South Korea was battling to contain multiple wildfires raging across the southeastern region on Sunday, with strong and dry winds hindering efforts to bring the blaze under control, authorities said.

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At least four people have died and six have been injured in a series of wildfires in South Korea, as firefighters rushed to put out the fires amid dry, windy weather, the Korea Forest Service said on Sunday.

Over 9,000 staff and 105 helicopters were deployed to quell the fires engulfing areas mostly in the southeast of the country, damaging residential buildings and a temple, the authorities said.

More than 1,500 residents took shelter as the fires wiped out some 6,300 hectares of forests, Acting President Choi Sang-mok told a disaster response meeting.

“I request that the Korea Forest Service pay special attention to securing the safety of personnel in charge of extinguishing wildfires in the air or on the ground,” Choi said as he vowed to use all available resources to stop the fires.

Three of the four people who died were firefighters and one was a public servant, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Choi said the government will provide Sancheong and two other regions affected by the wildfires with special grants of financial support to help with recovery efforts.