NASA Satellite Captures Massive Wildfire In South Korea [Photo]

A wildfire that has burned through thousands of hectares of land is affecting coastal South Korea. A NASA satellite has captured the plumes of smoke emanating from the wildfire.

The wildfire started in Uljin County on March 4 and has been burning for several days now, Arirang reported. According to the outlet, the fire already burned some 16,000 hectares of woodland by 6 a.m. Monday, an area that is about "a quarter of the size of Seoul."

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite captured a natural-color image of the affected areas on March 5. In it, one can see the already thick smoke plume blowing toward southern Japan, as per NASA Earth Observatory, which shared the image.

There have been no casualties logged in connection with the wildfire as of Arirang's reporting, but thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes. The fire has also destroyed over 500 facilities, including 340 homes.

South Korea's President Moon Jae-In also ordered the protection of the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant in Uljin County on March 4 because of its proximity to the fire. Fortunately, firefighters and strong winds have helped protect the plant, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted in its Monday update.

So far, "all available manpower and equipment" have been mobilized to contain the wildfire on its fifth day, according to The Korea Herald. Apart from the firefighters, servicemen and even locals have also been working to fight the wildfire.

In South Korea, most forest fires happen in the spring because that is when the forests are "driest and vegetation is primed to burn," NASA Earth Observatory noted. As Arirang reported, the current wildfire is said to be South Korea's largest in 22 years. Authorities are now investigating the cause of the wildfire and suspect that it may have started from a cigarette.