SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — At least two firefighters died and hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes in South Korea on Saturday as emergency workers struggled to contain more than 30 wildfires fueled by dry winds.
The largest fires were in southeastern regions, including the rural county of Sancheong, where 260 people fled to a temporary shelter as flames spread across the surrounding hills, according to the South Gyeongsang provincial government.
Two firefighters were found dead, while another firefighter and a government worker remain missing after being trapped by fast-moving flames driven by strong winds in the area. Rescuers pulled out five emergency workers, who are now receiving treatment for their injuries, the provincial government said.
The Korea Forest Service said the Sancheong wildfire had burned over 500 hectares (1,200 acres) as of Saturday evening. Nearly 1,600 emergency workers, 35 helicopters and dozens of vehicles were deployed, but only 35% of the blaze was contained due to the area’s mountainous terrain and strong winds.
More than 400 people evacuated their homes in the county of Uiseong in North Gyeongsang province as firefighters continued to fight a blaze that so far burned 300 hectares (740 acres), according to the forest service, while dozens of residents also fled their homes in the city of Gimhae. The fires also forced the closures of several highway sections in the country’s southeast, including one connecting Ulsan and Busan, South Korea’s second largest city.
The national government designated the North and South Gyeongsang provinces and the southeastern city of Ulsan as disaster zones, and the country’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, vowed an all-out response to extinguish the flames.
Wildfires were also reported in central Chungcheong and southwestern Jeolla provinces.
A helicopter drops water on a wildfire at a mountain in Uiseong, South Korea, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (Yoon Gwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
Wildfire spreads wide at a mountain in Uiseong, South Korea, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (Yoon Gwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
Firefighters extinguish a fire at a factory building that has been engulfed in a wildfire in Uiseong, South Korea, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (Yoon Gwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to halt a ruling ordering the rehiring of thousands of federal workers let go in mass firings aimed at dramatically downsizing the federal government.
The emergency appeal argues that the judge can't force the executive branch to rehire some 16,000 probationary employees. The California-based judge found the firings didn’t follow federal law, and he ordered reinstatement offers be sent as a lawsuit plays out.
The appeal also calls on the conservative-majority court to rein in the growing number of federal judges who have slowed President Donald Trump's sweeping agenda, at least for now.
“Only this Court can end the interbranch power grab,” the appeal stated.
The courts have become ground zero for pushback to Trump with the Republican-led Congress largely supportive or silent, and judges have ruled against Trump's administration more than three dozen times after finding violations of federal law.
The rulings run the gamut from birthright citizenship changes to federal spending to transgender rights.
The order appealed Monday was one of two handed down the same day that both found separate legal problems with the way the Republican administration's firings of probationary employees were carried out.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled that the terminations were improperly directed by the Office of Personnel Management and its acting director. He ordered rehirings at six agencies: the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior and the Treasury.
His order came in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions and nonprofit organizations.
Alsup, who was appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton, also expressed frustration with what he called the government’s attempt to sidestep laws and regulations governing a reduction in its workforce — which it is allowed to do — by firing probationary workers with fewer legal protections.
He was appalled that employees were told they were being fired for poor performance despite receiving glowing evaluations just months earlier.
Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.
FILE - President Donald Trump speaks at an education event and executive order signing in the East Room of the White House in Washington, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
President Donald Trump speaks at an education event and executive order signing in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
