South Korean helicopters fight wildfire along heavily armed border with North Korea

CNN — 

South Korea sent two helicopters to battle a wildfire inside the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Seoul’s military said Friday, adding it had warned North Korea in advance of its firefighting mission along the heavily armed border area.

The blaze in the east of the DMZ dividing the Koreas comes just weeks after South Korea suffered record deadly wildfires in the country’s southeast that forced communities to evacuate and destroyed thousands of structures, including a centuries-old Buddhist temple.

South Korea’s military aired broadcasts to North Korea to warn people there about the helicopters early Friday, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

“Our military is maintaining readiness while closely monitoring North Korean activities,” the Joint Chiefs added.

It’s unclear what caused the fire, which started Thursday afternoon in South Korea’s eastern Goseong county, Gangwon province, according to authorities.

The Korea Forest Service said the blaze had been about half extinguished as of Friday morning, while the military said firefighting efforts were “proceeding smoothly” and there had been no damage to South Korean personnel or facilities.