Forest fire in central Seoul forces evacuation of 120 homes

[April 03, 2023]  SEOUL (Reuters) - A forest fire raged in central Seoul on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of at least 120 homes in the densely populated capital, authorities said. 

People watch a helicopter dropping water on a fire at Inwangsan mountain in Seoul, South Korea, April 2, 2023. Yonhap/via REUTERS

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.

(Reporting by Hyun Young Yi and Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

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