ISTANBUL

At least four people have died, six have been injured, and around 1,500 residents have been evacuated due to wildfires sweeping through South Korea’s southeastern region, according to local media reports on Sunday.

The fire, which started in Sancheong County on Friday, has since spread to three other areas, the Seoul-based Yonhap News reported. All the victims were found in Sancheong, of which five are in serious condition.

Approximately 1,500 residents have been evacuated so far.

Firefighters reportedly face challenges in controlling the blaze. Authorities have deployed over 30 helicopters to extinguish the fires.

According to authorities, around 30% of the wildfire in Sancheong was contained by early Sunday morning.

Lee Han-kyung, deputy chief of the disaster control tower, stated that the fires were spreading due to dry conditions.

So far, around 3,286 hectares of land, the size of about 4,600 soccer fields, have burned, with over 1,000 hectares destroyed in Euiseong in North Gyeongsang Province and Sancheong, each.

Firefighters were reported to be still struggling to put out the blazes in four areas across the southeastern region on the Sunday morning.

On Saturday, the South Korean government had declared a state of national disaster due to the wildfires.