By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
A wild fire demonstrated the power of nature over even the world's most heavily guarded border Monday, as South Korean authorities revealed their efforts to control a blaze that apparently started in North Korea.
Military officials kept local media updated, and news agency Yonhap reported that the fire started at around 11 a.m. (0200GMT) near a North Korean military post.
Within five hours, it was approaching a tourist observatory in South Korea, which was closed for the day.
There was also disruption to normal operations at a joint industrial complex at Kaesong, just north of the border.
While no casualties were reported as of late afternoon, the fire was a rare example of both Koreas fighting for the same cause, with the North also reportedly trying to extinguish the blaze.
The Koreas technically remain at war after an armistice, rather than a peace treaty, brought the 1950-53 Korean War to a close.
More than two million military personnel guard both sides of the DMZ, or demilitarized zone, which spans the Korean Peninsula -- and official communication follows tight protocols.
South Korean firefighters were able to employ helicopters following United Nations Command approval, but they were still unable to cross the border.
Strong winds appeared to play a role in the spread of the fire, which is being considered accidental amid a drought warning in the northern South Korean province of Gyeonggi-do.
