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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Forest Fire in Central Seoul Forces Evacuation of 120 Homes

A National Fire Agency helicopter dumps water to contain a fire burning on Mount Inwang, Seoul, South Korea, 02 April 2023. (EPA)

A forest fire raged in central Seoul on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of at least 120 homes in the densely populated capital, authorities said.

The fire, which started on a mountain in the middle of Seoul at around 11:53 a.m. (0253 GMT), razed forests the size of some 30 soccer fields before it was nearly extinguished as of 5 p.m. (0800 GMT), according to officials.

No casualties were reported.

Smoke billowing from forests was seen across the city as firefighters battled to put out the fire with water-bombing aircraft.

Multiple helicopters were seen flying over the Han River in an apparent effort to supply water to extinguish the fire, a Reuters witness said.

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