At least one person was killed in a sudden wildfire fueled by strong winds that broke out in northeast South Korea Tuesday.
Authorities say the fire started on a hill in the coastal city of Gangneung when a tree blew onto live electric wires near a forest.
The fire consumed about 170 hectares of land and destroyed about 70 homes and buildings over eight hours before firefighters were able to bring it under control with help from a late afternoon rainstorm.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quotes authorities saying the body of a man in his 80s was found in a home gutted by the wildfire. At least 12 people were injured in the blaze, while more than 500 residents were forced to evacuate.
Some information for this report came from Reuters.