Seoul: A giant forest fire swept across swathes of South Korea on Friday, as authorities declared a rare national disaster, deploying 900 fire engines and tens of thousands of personnel to bring it under control.

The blaze broke out late Thursday alongside a road in the town of Goseong, in the far northeast of the country. Fanned by strong winds it quickly spread through the mountainous area, incinerating 400 homes. Nearly 4,000 people were evacuated and one person died, authorities said, while 11 were injured. More than 870 fire engines and some 10,000 emergency personnel were dispatched to fight the blaze, the National Fire Agency said.