SEOUL — At least four people have been killed and six injured as wildfires continue to sweep through South Korea’s southeastern region, prompting the evacuation of around 1,500 residents, according to local media reports on Sunday.

The fires, which began in Sancheong County on Friday, have since spread to three other areas, including Euiseong in North Gyeongsang Province. All fatalities were recorded in Sancheong, where five of the injured remain in serious condition.

Firefighters are battling difficult conditions, with dry weather fueling the rapid spread of flames. Authorities have deployed more than 30 helicopters to help control the fires, though only about 30% of the Sancheong blaze had been contained by early Sunday.

Lee Han-kyung, deputy chief of the disaster control tower, said efforts to extinguish the fires were being hampered by persistent dry weather and difficult terrain.

Approximately 3,286 hectares of land — equivalent to roughly 4,600 soccer fields — have been scorched so far, with over 1,000 hectares lost in both Euiseong and Sancheong.

As of Sunday morning, firefighters continued to struggle to contain fires in four separate areas across the southeastern region.

In response to the ongoing emergency, the South Korean government declared a state of national disaster on Saturday. — Agencies