South Korean Police to summon suspect in worst-ever wildfires for questioning

Seoul, March 28 (IANS) South Korean Police will summon a man suspected of causing massive wildfires in South Korea's southeastern region, officials said Friday.

The suspect in his 50s is suspected of causing the fire at 11:24 a.m. on Saturday while performing an ancestral rite at a family grave on a hill in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province.

The fire rapidly spread due to gusty winds amid dry conditions, devastating the region before being fully contained around 5 p.m. Friday.

At least 24 people were killed and 25 others injured in the province alone, with thousands evacuated, according to authorities.

Police completed a preliminary investigation involving his daughter recently, and are drawing up plans to question the man, according to officials.

The accidental starting of a wildfire can result in up to three years in prison or a fine of 30 million won ($20,433) in South Korea.

Prosecutors have said the investigation needs to focus on whether he violated the Forest Protection Act, as well as the Criminal Act and the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, Yonhap news agency reported.

They also called for joint investigations with the police and relevant authorities, as the wildfires affected a total of five cities and counties in the province, according to officials.

Meanwhile, massive wildfires that ravaged South Korea's North Gyeongsang Province for a week were fully contained on Friday, authorities said, as better visibility and cooler temperatures from overnight rain helped firefighters put out the main blazes.

In South Korea's worst wildfire disaster, a wave of forest fires has devastated the southeastern region, including South Gyeongsang Province since last Friday, killing at least 28 people, injuring 37 and forcing some 38,000 people to flee, according to the government's disaster response agency.

The largest-ever wildfire in North Gyeongsang Province had been fully brought under control by 5 p.m., approximately 149 hours after it first broke out in the county of Uiseong, according to the Korea Forest Service (KFS).

Firefighting authorities are still working to contain fires in South Gyeongsang Province, where, as of 3 p.m., an average of 93 per cent of fires across the region had been extinguished.

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