Wildfires in the eastern Gangwon Province of South Korea killed one person and forced more than 4,000 people to flee their homes. The fires broke out due to a transformer spark near a resort in the area on Thursday evening and spread to the cities of Sokcho and Gangneung, Reuters reported.

According to authorities, 525 hectares of land were affected by the blaze, along with 198 homes and other buildings. As many as 3,251 firefighters, accompanied by 16,500 soldiers, military helicopters and military fire trucks, were deployed to get the flames under control.

As of Friday morning, the fire in the Sokcho region had been contained, while about 50 percent of the fire in the Gangneung region had been put out. President Moon Jae-in declared a state of emergency and asked officials to use all available resources.

Play