More than 14,800 acres of land has been destroyed in South Korea, after a wildfire broke out on Friday morning.

Some 6,000 people have been evacuated out of the Samcheok area, 330km (205 miles) southeast of Seoul, as firefighters tackle the blaze.

The fire once threatened to destroy the Hanul nuclear power plant, with South Korean President Moon-Jae-in ordering an urgent effort to stop the flames.

However, strong winds and efforts from firefighters pushed the wildfire southwards, avoiding the nuclear plant.

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“It’s fortunate that there were no casualties overnight and core facilities such as Samcheok liquefied natural gas complex and Hanul nuclear power plant remain safe,” presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said.

More than 150 homes have been destroyed, as well as 53 other structures so far, but no casualties have been reported.

Firefighters have experienced difficulties extinguishing the blaze due to strong winds hitting the worst-affected areas, and thick smog halting helicopter assistance.

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Chief of the Korean Forest Service (KFS), Kim Jae-Hyun, said: “Since the area affected is so big, our goal this morning is to overpower the flames moving southward,” adding “we aim to bring all flames under control by the sunset”.

Threat of wildfires on the rise

UN experts have warned the risk of wildfires causing catastrophic damage could increase by 50% by 2100, with even regions such as the Arctic facing a heightened risk.

The report called for governments across the world to dramatically increase their spending in wildfire prevention and preparedness in an attempt to prevent them from having devastating impacts.

In August 2021, California experienced the worst single wildfire in the state’s history with 1,000 homes being destroyed and three people dying as a result of the blaze.

In the last year, wildfires also hit countries such as Italy, Israel and Bolivia, causing widespread damage.

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