South Korean Nuclear Power Plant Protected From Wildfire as Thousands Flee Their Homes

Reuters
By Reuters
March 5, 2022Asia & Pacific
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South Korean Nuclear Power Plant Protected From Wildfire as Thousands Flee Their Homes
A wildfire burns on a mountain in Samcheok, South Korea, on March 4, 2022. (Kim Huyn-tae/Yonhap via AP)

A South Korea’s nuclear power plant and a LNG production complex were successfully protected from a wildfire, the head of Korea Forest Service (KFS) said on Saturday.

The government issued a natural disaster alert after a wildfire broke out near the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant in the eastern coastal county of Uljin on Friday.

“We successfully protected the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant, the LNG gas storage as well as the transmission lines,” Minister of Korea Forest Service (KFS), Choi Byeong-am told reporters.

Choi added that authorities are aiming to extinguish the fire before sunset, mobilizing more than 3,000 firefighters, 236 fire trucks, and 57 helicopters.

More than 6,000 people evacuated yesterday, however, most of them returned home and 673 people remain in temporary shelters as of 8:30a.m., KFS said. At least 116 residential properties have been destroyed.

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