[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters has issued a special warning as wildfires have been occurring consecutively in the Gyeonggi area due to dry weather.
According to the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters on the 9th, the number of wildfires that occurred in the Gyeonggi area over the past three years totaled 496, with 164 cases in 2020, 101 cases in 2021, and 231 cases in 2022. One person died and 21 were injured due to related wildfires.
On the 3rd, a wildfire broke out on a mountain in Gangcheon-myeon, Yeoju City, burning about 9,000㎡ of forest land before being extinguished. So far this year, six wildfires have occurred up to the 7th of this month.
Accordingly, the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters urged residents to take active interest and caution to prevent wildfires.
The Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters advised that on mountains where a "wildfire advisory" has been issued due to a high possibility of wildfire occurrence, hiking should be refrained from, and when hiking, the use of fire and smoking should be avoided. They also added that cooking such as camping is only allowed in designated areas, and burning rice paddies and field ridges near forests should be avoided as it can lead to wildfires.
The Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters explained that if a wildfire occurs, it is important to immediately report to 119, evacuate away from the direction of the wildfire to a lower place than the fire, and if evacuation is not possible, lie down in a low posture with your back to the wind as much as possible.
The Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters has instructed frontline fire stations to strengthen their response capabilities to wildfire incidents. The main points include devising firefighting response strategies through wildfire incident analysis by each station, ensuring the safety of personnel and thorough extinguishing of residual fires, and enhancing wildfire response strategies using firefighting drones.
Cho Sun-ho, head of the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters, said, "Since the atmosphere is dry, a small spark can spread into a large fire, so please be especially careful in preventing wildfires," and added, "We will do our best to minimize wildfire damage through prompt initial response and efficient firefighting activities when wildfires occur."
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