A wildfire fuelled by strong winds has destroyed homes in a seaside city on South Korea’s eastern coast, killing at least one person and forcing hundreds to flee.

It took eight hours and nearly 3000 firefighters to put out the blaze that started on a mountain in a central part of Gangneung on Tuesday.

The blaze destroyed about 70 homes and other buildings.

More than 550 people were evacuated to facilities including an ice-skating arena and a school gym.

A man presumed to be in his 70s was found dead inside a burnt-down home while another resident and two firefighters sustained second-degree burns.

The Korea Forest Service said firefighters extinguished the blaze with the help of rain that began in the afternoon.

Their efforts were initially slowed by powerful winds that made it difficult to fly water-dropping aircraft but officials managed to deploy helicopters in the afternoon.

The Korea Meteorological Administration said winds in the Gangneung area were blowing more than 100km/h.

The strong winds also forced rail operators to cancel at least a dozen passenger trains between Gangneung and other eastern coastal cities such as Donghae and Samcheok.

The fire covered about 380 hectares. Firefighters during the earlier part of their response focused on establishing barriers to prevent the flames spreading to more populated areas of Gangneung.

The Korea Forest Service said the fire was likely sparked by a tree that fell over a powerline after being snapped by strong winds.

-AP