NASA Captures Massive Wildfire In South Korea From Space, The Biggest Blaze in the Country in 22 Years [Look]

A wildfire that has burnt over thousands of hectares of land in coastal South Korea has been photographed by a NASA satellite.

The wildfire began on March 4 in Uljin County and raged for many days.

The outlet added that the fire had scorched 16,000 hectares of woods, an area about "a quarter the size of Seoul," as of 6 am local time Monday.

NASA Satellite Captures South Korean Wildfire

On March 5, NASA's Aqua satellite's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument took a natural-color photograph of the afflicted areas.

According to NASA Earth Observatory, which published the image, it shows the already substantial smoke cloud heading toward southern Japan.

The first symptoms of the flames appeared on NASA satellite data on March 3 and 4, near the coastal regions of Uljin and Samcheok.

Smoke had decreased a little on March 7 as winds slowed and the weather became hazy, but satellites continued to detect fire activity.

As per Arirang's report, no deaths have been reported due to the wildfire.

But several reports estimated that the fires had damaged more than 300 homes, forced more than 7,000 people to escape, and scorched approximately 17,000 hectares (66 square miles).

According to research published in Applied Sciences, most forest fires in South Korea (58%) occur in the spring, when forests are driest and vegetation is primed to burn.

Korea Secures Hanul Nuclear Power Plant

White smoke and an unpleasant odor blanket Connyoung, Uljin County, where the fire began on Friday.

The flames came dangerously close to a nuclear power plant and gas facilities at times, but firefighters were able to extinguish them on time. About 18,000 personnel and several helicopters have been dispatched to put out the fires.

Hence, South Korean President Moon Jae-In ordered the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant in Uljin County to be protected on March 4 due to its closeness to the fire.

Fortunately, firemen and strong winds helped preserve the facility, according to a Monday report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The Korea Herald said every possible staff and equipment had been recruited so far to put out the wildfire, which is now on its fifth day.

Aside from firemen, troops, and even residents have been assisting in the fight against the blaze.

The majority of forest fires in South Korea occur in the spring because the woods are "driest and flora most poised to ignite," according to NASA Earth Observatory.

According to Arirang, the current wildfire is the biggest in South Korea in 22 years. Authorities are now looking into the cause of the blaze, which they believe may have been sparked by a cigarette.

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