SEOUL - Two firefighters were found dead in South Korea and two were missing as more than 20 wildfires flared across the nation on Saturday (March 22), including the deadly one in the southeast of the Korean Peninsula.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok urged all-out efforts to extinguish the fire before sunset as wildfires were spreading rapidly due to strong winds.

The dead firefighters were attempting to quell a fire in South Gyeongsang province that began on Friday and had affected 275 hectares (680 acres) as of Saturday afternoon. More than 200 residents had been evacuated.

The South Korean government declared the region a disaster area on Saturday evening.

Source: Reuters