South Korea: Wildfire near liquified natural gas production base forces thousands to flee their homes
Almost 4,000 residents were evacuated from nine villages in the area, although all but 161 had returned as of Friday evening, Yonhap news agency reported. The blaze has caused no casualties so far, as reported by AFP.
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FollowThousands of people fled their homes in South Korea’s Uljin province on Friday after a wildfire broke out close to a liquified natural gas facility temporarily threatening a nuclear power station before being driven away by winds.
South Korea President Moon Jae-in on Friday ordered an all-out effort to be made to protect the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant from a wildfire that broke out in the eastern coastal county of Uljin, the presidential office said in a statement, as reported by Reuters.
The government issued a natural disaster alert after a wildfire broke out in the county of Uljin on Friday, where the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. operates six nuclear pressurised water reactors.
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About 1,000 firefighters were battling the blaze in strong winds and focusing their efforts on preventing it from reaching the Hosan-ri liquefied natural gas production site in Gangwon-do, near the city of Samcheok.
Almost 4,000 residents were evacuated from nine villages in the area, although all but 161 had returned as of Friday evening, Yonhap news agency reported. The blaze has caused no casualties so far, as reported by AFP.
Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum in a separate statement as reported by Reuters said local firefighters will co-operate with the defence ministry and the forestry agency to put out wildfires that are reportedly moving along the country's east coast towards Gangwon province.
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By late Friday the fires had destroyed 12 residential properties and three storage units, Yonhap reported.
The fire reached the perimeter of a seaside nuclear power plant, forcing the operator to reduce operations to 50%. Hundreds of firefighters were deployed to the plant and kept the blaze under control before winds drove it northward toward Samcheok, said Kang Dae-hoon, another agency official.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths, as reported by AFP.
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