Record-Breaking Damage Scale... Facility Damage Continues
Spreading Near Nuclear Power Plant and LNG Storage, 'Dizzying'
Extending to Urban Areas Like Donghae City, Causing Resident Confusion
On the evening of the 5th, a wildfire continues to spread in Daejin-dong, Donghae-si, Gangwon Province. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] Wildfires that broke out in Uljin, Gyeongbuk and Ok-gye, Gangneung have spread to surrounding areas due to dry weather and strong winds, causing a series of wildfires nationwide and expected to cause unprecedented damage. The damage to forest land alone from the wildfires has already reached the equivalent of 15,000 soccer fields.
On the morning of the 4th, the wildfire that started in Uljin, Gyeongbuk has been difficult to control as it moves north and south with strong winds. It moved north to Samcheok, Gangwon the previous day. In the afternoon, it moved south to Uljin-eup and Jukbyeon-myeon riding the strong winds. Residents of villages near the wildfire were urgently evacuated. The flames spread near the gas station and gas station in Uljin-eup, almost causing a bigger accident. The wildfire moved south to within 1 to 2 km of Uljin County Office, and thick smoke covered the area making it difficult to see, resulting in the closure of parts of National Route 7 and National Route 36, as well as coastal roads.
Especially with the strong winds, firefighting efforts are facing more difficulties. Thick smoke makes it hard to secure visibility, and the strong winds make aerial firefighting using helicopters difficult.
With simultaneous wildfires in other areas such as Gangneung, firefighting efforts have been delayed due to the dispersion of helicopters. Authorities have deployed additional helicopters to Uljin, totaling 51 helicopters, but the flames have not subsided. Fire authorities plan to launch an all-out firefighting effort again the next day. On the ground, about 3,700 personnel have been deployed to each area. A total of 353 ground firefighting vehicles have been mobilized to establish containment lines to protect residential areas.
Unprecedented scale of damage... Rapid increase in facility damage
On the 5th, a wildfire in Yeonji-ri, Uljin-eup, Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk is spreading toward the Uljin County Office. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The damage to forest land in Gyeongbuk and Gangwon regions alone reached 10,591 soccer fields, totaling 10,775 hectares (Uljin 10,145 ha, Samcheok 630 ha). A total of 281 facilities including 193 houses have been burned, and evacuation orders for residents are being issued one after another.
As the wildfire spread to Uljin town, Uljin County advised 6,500 residents of 16 villages in Uljin-eup, including Howol 3-ri and Jeongnim 2-ri, to evacuate to places such as Uljin National Sports Center via text messages and other means. In some areas, communication networks were cut off and some residents without mobile phones were visited individually by county office staff to provide guidance.
As the fire covered power lines, a blackout occurred at 2:52 p.m. in 521 households in Yeonji-ri, Uljin-eup. The Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) Gyeongbuk headquarters had preemptively cut off 4 of the 6 circuits of the 345kV transmission lines from Hanul Nuclear Power Plant to Bonghwa and Yeongju since 8 p.m. the previous day.
KEPCO explained, "We cut off 4 circuits passing through mountainous areas because if the transmission lines are cut by the wildfire, a large-scale blackout could occur."
Fire spreads to urban areas... City covered in smoke
On the afternoon of the 4th, a wildfire that started in Okgye-myeon, Gangneung-si, spread to Donghae-si by the 5th, engulfing houses in the residential area near Mukho Port in flames. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The wildfire that started in Uljin has fortunately not spread further, but the wildfire in Ok-gye, Gangneung spread to Donghae, causing confusion among residents. The fire spread to hills and residential areas in the city, with residents even dousing their homes with water.
According to Donghae City, smoke and fine particles still cover the entire urban area, and complaints are pouring in. The highway, national roads, coastal roads, and even railways between Gangneung and Donghae have been suspended.
According to forestry authorities, as of 5 p.m. that day, the forest damage area was 450 hectares in Gangneung Ok-gye and Donghae, 260 hectares in Samcheok, 75 hectares in Gimsatgat-myeon, Yeongwol, and 20 hectares in Seongsan, Gangneung. Property damage includes 4 houses in Ok-gye, Gangneung, and one house each in Samcheok and a military outpost. The first floor of the village hall in Gopo Village, Wondeok-eup, Samcheok was also partially destroyed. In Donghae, 31 buildings were damaged, including 19 famous pensions and 10 buildings in Mukho and Mangsang, respectively.
Except for the wildfire in Songam-ri, Seongsan-myeon, Gangneung, firefighting is ongoing in Ok-gye, Gangneung, Donghae, Samcheok, and Yeongwol.
All-out protection of nuclear power plants and LNG storage facilities
On the afternoon of the 5th, a wildfire spread behind an LPG gas filling station in Yeonji-ri, Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk. As the flames reached the area where LPG gas cylinders were stacked, employees and firefighters urgently worked to extinguish the fire. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Authorities are focusing on stopping the southward spread of the wildfire and protecting nuclear power plants, gas stations, transmission facilities, and the Geumgang Pine Forest in Sogwang-ri.
Having protected Hanul Nuclear Power Plant, Samcheok Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) production base, and transmission lines the previous night, authorities are again concentrating on defending nuclear power plants amid the wildfire’s southward advance. In Uljin-eup, the flames spread near the gas station, prompting a full-scale firefighting effort using helicopters and other means. There was also a gas station next to the charging station, creating a critical situation.
The wildfire crossed the boundary of Hanul Nuclear Power Plant under the influence of 12-15 m/s strong winds in the afternoon the previous day and threatened the Samcheok LNG production base at night, but so far, no damage has occurred to the nuclear power plant or LNG production base.
Forestry and firefighting authorities have concentrated equipment and personnel around nuclear power plants, LNG bases, and transmission lines while extinguishing the wildfire, establishing firebreaks to protect key facilities.
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