Fire authorities have issued a Level One order to mobilize firefighting forces from other regions to contain a wildfire rapidly spreading in the eastern coastal county of Uljin.

The National Fire Agency(NFA) issued the order at around 1:50 p.m. Friday and mobilized a total of 105 firetrucks as of 4 p.m.

The Level One order, the lowest of a three-notch system, is issued in response to insufficient firefighting personnel and resources in the event of a massive fire or disaster.  

NFA chief Lee Heung-kyo ordered the regional fire authority of North Gyeongsang Province to make all-out efforts to prevent the fire from spreading to the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant in Uljin, where six pressurized water reactors are located.

Fire authorities deployed 24 firetrucks to the nuclear power plant to prepare for any contingency. They also dispatched a vehicle loaded with a water cannon that can spray up to 75-thousand liters of water per minute, at the request of the power plant's operator.

Fire authorities mobilized all available firefighting helicopters to douse the flames.  

The wildfire started along a road running up a hill in Buk-myeon township, Uljin County at around 11:17 a.m. on Friday, with the blaze spreading to the top of the mountain.

The Korea Forest Service issued a Level Three wildfire alert at 2:15 p.m.