© Yonhap
The Gangneung city government said more than 2,500 residents were ordered to flee Saturday as a wind-fed forest fire spread in the eastern city.
About 300 residents are known to have fled from their homes after the blaze started on a hill near Daegwallyeong, a mountain pass close to the east coast, at around 3:30 p.m., according to city officials.
A total of 30 private houses were damaged by the fire as of 10 p.m., but no casualties have been reported, they said.
The residents took shelter at nearby schools and other public facilities, officials said.
Traffic along some parts of a nearby expressway was temporarily restricted but returned to normal at 10 p.m.
About 2,700 people, including hundreds of firefighters, soldiers, police officers and government officials, have been dispatched to fight the fire, but they are struggling to extinguish it, the officials said.
A series of forest fires hit South Korean cities on the same day amid a drought warning.
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