▲ Firefighters battle a wildfire in Gyeongju, some 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Feb. 8, 2026, in this photo provided by the Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ A firefighting helicopter drops water over a wildfire in Gyeongju, some 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Feb. 8, 2026. (Yonhap)

wildfire-Gyeongju

Firefighters to make final push to fully extinguish Gyeongju wildfire

GYEONGJU, South Korea, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- Fire authorities on Monday were set to deploy helicopters to fully put out a wildfire in the southeastern city of Gyeongju that forced nearly 70 people to evacuate after overnight efforts to extinguish remaining flames.

The wildfire, which broke out Saturday evening on a hillside in the city's eastern village of Ipcheon, had initially been brought under control at about 6 p.m. Sunday but later reignited, prompting authorities to dispatch 325 personnel to put out the blaze.

While the main fire has been contained, authorities said they planned to deploy 17 firefighting helicopters to tackle the remaining blaze.

"The main blaze has been put out, but there have been residual flames that rekindled at night," a forestry official said. "We plan to wrap up firefighting efforts by deploying helicopters from the forestry service and local municipalities at sunrise."

The wildfire, which reignited due to strong winds, forced 68 residents in the area to flee from their homes.

Authorities estimate 54 hectares of land were impacted by the wildfire, equivalent to about 76 football pitches.

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