Wildfire in southeastern city of Miryang rages for 2nd day; 51% contained

A wildfire in the southeastern city of Miryang raged for the second day Tuesday as firefighters and forestry authorities raced to put it out with the break of day. The fire was 51 percent contained at 5 a.m., nearly 13 hours after it started on a hill in the city some 280 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to forestry officials. The fire line is 5.8 kilometers long, of which 2.95 km has been extinguished, they said. Immediately after sunrise, officials planned to send 31 firefighting helicopters to the scene to swiftly contain the main blaze. More than 600 personnel and nearly 160 firefighting cars have already been mobilized in the containment effort. A total of 184 people, including residents of three nearby villages and patients of long-term care hospitals, were evacuated overnight to their homes, community centers or an elementary school. No casualties have been reported, though the fire has damaged at least 124 hectares of land. The National Fire Agency has issued a national firefighting mobilization order, which is given when the scale of the fire is deemed to surpass the firefi