Two firefighters who were battling forest fires in South Korea lost their lives. The country has declared a national disaster.

According to Yonhap news agency, a forest fire broke out in the city of Ulsan in South Korea at 15:26 local time, as strong winds were affecting the area.

The intense winds made firefighting efforts difficult, resulting in the loss of two firefighters. Authorities stated that the identities of the firefighters have not yet been determined and the causes of death will be investigated. Officials emphasized that 60% of the fire that engulfed approximately 290 hectares has been contained, and hundreds of people affected by the fire have been evacuated to safe areas. The person who first reported the fire claimed that it started from a spark during grass cutting, but officials stated that they are waiting for the fire to be completely extinguished to determine the exact cause. Across the country, forest fires were reported at 16 different locations. A NATIONAL DISASTER HAS BEEN DECLARED

The South Korean government declared a national disaster due to the forest fires in Ulsan city and the southeastern regions. A statement from the Ministry of the Interior of South Korea indicated that the measure went into effect at 18:00 local time in Ulsan city, North Gyeongsang, and South Gyeongsang provinces. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Choi Sang-mok, acting on behalf of the Presidency, instructed government officials to consider declaring the affected areas as special disaster zones.