The main fire linked to massive wildfires in the eastern coastal area has been put out after more than 213 hours since the blaze started on March 4.

Choi Byeong-am, head of the Korea Forest Service (KFS), announced on Sunday morning that the main flames of the wildfires in the Uljin and Samcheok areas have been extinguished.

Although the main fire has been contained, it will take more time to completely extinguish the remaining fires.

Choi said that the wildfires continued for nine days, affecting four areas in Uljin County and two areas in Samcheok City.

The KFS chief said that as of 9 a.m. Sunday, it took a total of 213 hours to put out the fires, the longest time recorded for wildfire suppression. The previous record was 191 hours set in the 2000 wildfires of the eastern coastal area.

No casualties have been reported, but the wildfires in the Uljin and Samcheok areas are estimated to have destroyed over 20-thousand hectares of forest and destroyed over 640 facilities. The burned areas are equivalent to over one third of the size of Seoul, or 29-thousand-304 soccer fields.

The blaze started in Uljin on March 4 and spread to its neighboring city of Samcheok amid strong winds and the dry weather.