More than 6,000 people have been evacuated from their homes as firefighters battled a massive wildfire in South Korea's eastern coastal area on Saturday, Yonhap news agency reported, citing local authorities.

The fire burned an estimated 14,989 acres (6,060 hectares), equal to about 8,496 soccer fields, in Uljin, about 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to forest and firefighting authorities.