Firefighting operations have restarted to battle a blaze that broke out three days ago in the heavily-fortified demilitarized zone (DMZ) of the inter-Korean border.
 
Forestry and military officials as well as firefighters resumed operations at 7:30 Wednesday morning, mobilizing seven helicopters and 194 people.
 
However, strong winds and dry weather are posing a challenge in Paju, where a dry weather warning has been in effect since last Sunday.
 
Additionally, with land mines strewn throughout the DMZ, firefighters are solely dependent on helicopters, further slowing down the efforts. 
 
Around one million square meters of forest land in the DMZ is estimated to have been destroyed due to the fire. Tour programs for the truce village of Panmunjeom have also been suspended.
 
The forest fire broke out at about 600 meters north of the Military Demarcation Line at 11:30 Monday morning. The blaze spread to areas nearby the Dorasan Observatory in Paju and the Joint Security Area. On Tuesday, the fire spread to areas five to six kilometers away from the Daesungdong Village, which is the only village with civilian residents in the southern portion of the DMZ.