A wildfire broke out in Sancheong County in South Gyeongsang Province on Friday, prompting authorities to issue a Level Three alert in the nation's wildfire response system. 

According to the Korea Forest Service, the fire started around a mountainous area in the town of  Sincheon at 3:26 p.m. and continued to spread as of 6:40 p.m., when the response level was issued. 

A Level Three alert is issued by the forest agency chief when the affected area is expected to be at least 100 hectares, and average wind speeds of at least eleven meters per second are projected to cause a major wildfire that cannot be extinguished within two days. 

As the alert allows for regional resources such as personnel and helicopters to be mobilized, the agency reported that 20 helicopters and 304 personnel had been dispatched.

Emergency alerts were also sent out to local residents in the area at 6:29 p.m., instructing those in the Jeomdong and Gukdong villages to evacuate to nearby community halls.