South Korea wildfires spread forcing evacuation of four local prisons, homes

By Minwoo Park

UISEONG COUNTY, South Korea (Reuters) -Wildfires spread across South Korea's southeastern region on Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of thousands of inmates from local prisons and causing residents to flee their homes.

Acting President Han Duck-soo vowed to deploy firefighting helicopters and ground personnel to battle the fires.

The city of Andong, with a population of 150,000 people, issued an alert to its residents to evacuate to safe areas, according to a city official and a public text alert. The city is home to the 14th- to 15th-century Hahoe Folk Village, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The official said the blaze was currently about 10 km (6 miles) from Hahoe.

Authorities designated the affected counties "special disaster zones."

The Ministry of Justice said it has begun transferring about 2,600 inmates from four prisons in Cheongsong County due to the wildfires.

At least four people have been killed and hundreds forced to flee their homes since blazes broke out in several areas on Saturday, stoked by strong winds and dry weather. One woman was found dead on Tuesday, local media reported, with police saying they suspected the death was related to the wildfires.

The wildfires have already gutted local landmarks including ancient Buddhist temples.

"Because this is such an old temple, it is so regrettable and heartbreaking that it has been burned down," said Jeung Meung-suk, a 55-year-old Buddhist follower at Unramsa, a thousands-year-old temple where most of whose buildings were burned.

(Reporting by Minwoo Park; Additional reporting by Heekyong Yang; Writing by Ju-min Park; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Mark Porter)